On Thursday, Oct. 27, the junior class took a trip to Old Sturbridge Village in order to step into the lives of the early 19th century Americans who they are learning about in their U.S. history classes.
The trip offered ample opportunities to explore the village and interact with people doing common jobs and living their daily lives. At Sturbridge, actors portray the lives of those who lived in the 1800s, making the experience immersive for those who visit.
The extensive land of the village includes gardens, a pottery shop, a blacksmith, farms, and much more. The different statuses of the people working around the village offered the students the opportunity to form their own opinion about certain issues that were debated at the time.
The second part of the day was an interactive simulation of a town meeting in which the students participated by taking on the role of townspeople. They were encouraged to ask locals of the village what they thought about a town issue in preparation for the meeting.
The issue pertained to a decision on whether they should create a community farm that would provide work for the poor and benefit the production efficiency of the town, yet increase taxes for the other citizens.
The other option was to continue using what is called the “Vondue System,” an arrangement where families in the town would be paid to feed and house a poor person in exchange for work around the farm or help with household needs.
Not only were the students able to use the input of the townspeople of that era, but they were also given characters of their own with details about their family, job, and status in town. The students were encouraged to approach the issue as their character would have and form their own decision on what they would vote for.
Junior Elijah Wells described the difference between the two systems. “The poor farm is like an orphanage, while the Vondue System is similar to foster care,” he said. Discussions around the village were educated and positive, leading up to the town meeting.
History teacher Tricia Watson described the importance of the students being able to participate in a realistic town meeting. “The field trip is meant to engage with the curriculum, but also be active with it,” she said.
In order to make this an active learning experience, the students were asked to stand up astheir assigned persona and voice the conclusions that they had come to throughout the day. The decision was brought to a vote, and the town decided to implement a poor farm, despite the taxes.
Not only did the trip allow for an in-person version of a U.S. history class, but it also offered the students time to spend with their friends that they may not have time to see in school.
The teachers realize that the hectic lives of juniors do not allow them much down time, so giving the students a day where they could learn without having classes was a positive experience.
The trip gave students the fundamental opportunity to step outside of the classroom and into the lives of the people within the pages of their history textbooks.
