LESSONS OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM

My goodness … where to start?

Because of a unique opportunity I was blessed to experience, I now know that we’re only a three-hour bus ride and an even shorter plane ride from Freeman to our nation’s capital. That’s a small amount of time to travel for an immense amount of history. And when you make the trip with an enthusiastic, engaging and friendly group from your community, it feels like an even shorter amount of time.

Fifteen high school students and 10 adults from the Freeman area journeyed to Washington D.C., Virginia and Pennsylvania last week for an up-close and personal look at some of the best our capital and extended region has to offer. The tour was orchestrated by World Classrooms based in Aberdeen and let me tell you, it was a well-oiled machine. They think of just about everything and jam-pack it into four days focused on the history of our great nation.

Transportation to and from the airports, hotel accommodations, meals, tickets, admissions, CEOs (Chief Experience Officers) who travel and guided us along the way, and a local expert who joined us every day basically handled the students so that the adults could sit back and enjoy the trip.

Day 1 – Wednesday, July 26: The trip got off to an early and fast start with a bus journey to Omaha, where we joined up with a small group from Nebraska City, Neb. before flying into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. From there, we loaded onto a private motorcoach which delivered us to our first stop on our walking tour. I can’t speak for anyone else, but I was soaking in all the landmark buildings I had heard about, read about, or had seen in movies and TV, including The Library of Congress, The Supreme Court and the U.S. Capitol. Standing there in the shadows of such beautiful architecture and thinking about the trailblazing decisions that have taken place in these buildings left me awestruck. They still do.

There is something good to be said about a person who takes time to make others feel important, and on that first day of our trip, our own Senator John Thune and the staff did just that, making our students feel like the most important people in the world in that moment. Not only did he join us outside on the steps of the Capitol to share a little about himself and what he does as a Senator, but he took photos with the kids (which if you have a teenager, you know about pics and apps) and was gracious enough to give us a private tour of the Capitol. And this was not your everyday tour; this was a behind-the-scenes look inside one of the country’s most important buildings. Have you stood at the door and watched the Senate in session? We can now say that we have. The time he spent with our students made my heart sing because he gave them an experience they will never forget. As a parent of a daughter who benefited from John Thune’s time and kindness, I am eternally grateful. And, who knows? This may have been the pivotable point that changed the path of a student. How amazing would it be to have a senator, a representative, a governor or a president from Freeman?

Day 2 – Thursday, July 27: This day was about remembering those who came before us, beginning at Arlington Cemetery. It is humbling to stand among the thousands who have served our country in different capacities and are laid to rest here — soldiers, Supreme Court justices and presidents. We witnessed the Changing of the Guard at The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, visited the graves of JFK, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, President Taft, and so many more. And we were honored to have a Sentinel (Tomb Guard) visit with us.

(At this point I’m thinking we are the luckiest tour group ever!)

Interesting facts for you: Did you know that Arlington was a working plantation before it was a cemetery? Did you know that an eligible spouse may be laid to rest with his/her wife/husband in Arlington, but only if buried in the same gravesite?

From Arlington we visited the Holocaust Museum. We had two hours to move through the four-story building and, after an hour, I was about halfway through the first floor. I’m still trying to process all that I learned and all that I saw.

Next was the Washington Monument, World War II Memorial, The Reflecting Pool, Lincoln Memorial, The Vietnam Women’s Memorial and the wall at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial where the students took time to find a local soldiers name on the wall and made an impression using the rubbing (frottage) technique. We also stopped at The White House for a few photos. Incidentally, there were no protests that day other than the 24-hour manned peace vigil against nuclear proliferation that has been there since 1981.

Day 3 – Friday, July 28: We started at Gettysburg. We put our feet on the very ground where principal battles that were part of the Civil War were won and lost, and we looked across the hills and hollers where brothers fought brothers, and where thousands of American men died on American soil. Our guide took us to several monuments and stops to share with us the events that occurred at that spot. We also experienced the Cyclorama in the Gettysburg Museum. There are only three in the world. You’ve gotta go.

After what was a profound and at-times emotional reflection of a tough part of our history, we reboarded our motorcoach to travel back to D.C. to see the cherry trees at the Tidal Basin. The trees were not in bloom, but that was OK; they are still lovely and have a great story. We also visited the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Martin Luther King Memorial, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. Each told a story of a man’s life and the impact he had on our country.

Day 4 – Saturday, July 29: Another short bus trip, this time to Mount Vernon to experience the home of George Washington. Watching and listening to the students as they toured the home and surrounding grounds of our first president was a joy to experience. I loved the look of amazement as they walked through the home touching the handrail that President Washington — and so many others — had touched. The Mount Vernon experience was amazing even if we couldn’t enjoy it in full. After all, we had a plane to catch.

And just like that — by around 10 o’clock that night — we were back in Freeman.

There are so many people to thank for what was, for some, the trip of a lifetime. Mrs. Dawn Maske for being the point person, World Classrooms CEOs Lizzie and Lindy for leading us from the time they picked us up to the time they left us at Freeman Public, Mili for being our local expert and sharing so much knowledge with us, Mike for driving us safely to and from all our D.C.-area destinations and our driver to/from the Omaha airport, Sen. Thune and his staff, and last but certainly not least, the people who decided to take this trip.

I am so proud of our students for the reverence they showed at the memorials and gravesites, for their good manners and politeness, for watching out for each other and for maturing into travelers, not tourists.

I’d travel anywhere, anytime, with any one of you, and I’d be richer for it. I already am.