How Would You Try to Bind the Nations Wounds?

Greetings Sword Scholars! The countdown is underway. You all have 12 days left to finish the requirements for sword. Are you pumped?

Some of you have REALLY kicked it up a notch, working tirelessly on completing papers, finishing reading, and writing your hero reports.

THANK YOU! Keep it up!

I will send you a separate email that tells you what items I am still missing. PLEASE make sure to email/call me if you think you have already done something or turned in a paper so we can make sure my records accurately reflect the work you have completed.

Thursday in class we discussed the death of President Lincoln. Lincoln was an extraordinary statesman, a selfless individual who worked tirelessly for what he believed was necessary for our country's success and longevity. He was a true hero. John Wilkes Booth was a misguided, zealous assassin. Ultimately he helped to secure a special place in the heart of the American public for President Lincoln's service and example.

We also read and discussed the 13th amendment (no slavery), 14th amendment (equal privileges and protection for ALL citizens under the law) and 15th amendment (voting rights for men of all races). The Reconstruction of the South hinged on these amendments, and General Schmieder will enlighten us on this tumultuous period during our next class.

Remember: Finish To Kill a Mockingbird, and write your paper on the topic of this post (binding the nations' wounds).

You are all doing amazing. PLEASE do not hesitate to contact me with questions. The sooner you contact me, the better, though, because you want MORE time to finish your assignments, not less.  :-)

Happy studying/working! And MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Finish your Hero Report!

Hello Sword Scholars!

You will get this info twice, once as a direct email, and once as a subscription to the blog. So please consider it a blessing as a double reminder.  :-)

In class this week, General Schmieder walked us through the Surrender at Appomattox. We simulated the actual surrender, and played parts throughout. You all did a wonderful job at remembering, "There are no small parts, just small actors."  You were fabulous! I especially enjoyed the Southern accent Matthew used for General Lee. I felt like I was actually there! And Hannah did a VERY convincing job as General Grant - especially with her stage directions. Way to go everyone! You were all superb!

It was very interesting to note, that Wilmer McLean would play a central role in the history of this great war. He has been quoted, "The war began in my front yard, and ended in my parlor." Let's see just how this could be.

In fact, the first major land battle of the war was the first battle of Bull Run, or the battle of First Manassas, and did indeed begin on Wilmer's property. The first strike of the Union on the property was a cannonball through a fireplace and into Wilmer's kitchen! This greatly disturbed dinner, I am sure you can well imagine.

Wilmer's home and property became quite damanged due to both of the Bull Run battles, and he began to fear for his family's safety. Approximately one year after the first battle, Wilmer decided to move his family 120 miles south to Appomattox, Virginia, into a nice two-story cottage.

But the war would continue to follow him.

On April 9, 1865, Palm Sunday, the Union and Confederate soldiers battled at Appomattox courthouse. General Lee was outnumbered, with only 1 Confederate soldier to every 4 Union soldiers. He knew what he must do.

General Lee and General Grant met in McLean's parlor to finalize the terms of surrender. This time, there were no cannon balls or gunfire in Wilmer's house to damage his property, but Union soldiers did begin to pilfer and steal some of his belongings (victor's rights??).

After Wilmer Mclean sacrificed for his beloved confederacy, and prospered somewhat during the war through his mercantile business, he did eventually come to financial ruin. WHY? Because, he was generally paid for in Confederate notes, which of course, became worthless at the Confederacy's collapse.

In 1930, Congress purchased McLean's Appomattox house which had lain in ruins. They rebuilt it, and in 1949, it became a tourist site.

Maybe you'll visit it next summer....   :-)

In class, we studied Lincoln's Second Inaugural address. We saw, once again, how conciliatory and magnanimous Lincoln remained throughout the war. He truly was a merciful, gentle, regal and great man in the history of our nation.

This week, there is no paper to write, but....

ASSIGNMENTS

Read to Kill a Mockingbird - we will discuss after Christmas break.

And...you know, just finish everything already assigned! Your deadline is only 18 days away! 

Remember...Christmas Eve, at midnight. Work on memorization, old papers not yet turned in, your HERO REPORTS...etc.

If you are unsure, just email me, and I will tell you again what you are missing.

Okay....carry on Scholars. You are WONDERFUL, and learning so much, not only about history through this class, but about character, about valor, about yourselves.

See you next week!

Assignments for Week 10...sorry!

Sorry...I forgot to add these assignments at the end of the post! And blogger.com wouldn't let me just edit the previous post because I posted from my email, so lame!!

Anyay....

Assignments:

Continue to work on all late papers, and all memorization pieces.

Write a paper on the topic: In your opinion, as Sherman's Raid right? Why or why not?

Read "To Kill a Mockingbird"


See you in two weeks! Wouldn't it be nice if Mockingbird was done...hmmm.....   :-)

Sherman's Raid

Class was so great this week!

You all amazed Gen. Schmieder and myself, with being prepared to participate in our discussion of the Lincoln biography. WHAT a DIFFERENCE it makes, when you come armed with great thoughts, ideas, the book fresh in your mind! I loved it. I also LOVED the donuts Gen. Schmieder brought to reward your combined efforts. THANK YOU General!  Because our book discussion was cut a little short, I hope we get to squeeze in some more time after Thanksgiving break to share more of our favorite quotes and insights from President Lincoln's life.

This week we also discussed Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, and Sherman's Raid. The devastation that the battles brought to the nation, by the very soldiers' lives claimed, is almost unfathomable. But the total war tactic Sherman laid to the South is even more severe. I would LOVE to know your thoughts on it. Please complete the writing assignment listed at the end of this post. And feel free to read, watch, and learn more about Sherman's March to the Sea, so that your opinion paper will be THAT MUCH MORE informed, interesting, and passionate.

I emailed you all a spreadsheet showing you basically a snapshot of our poster in class where we've kept track of everyone's assignments. PLEASE look to see how much you have left to do. You have 1 month and four days in which to do it! Some things are hard to do with limited time....like MEMORIZING.  :-)

Gen. Schmieder and I are so GRATEFUL to be learning about this amazing period in history with you. Thank you for striving so hard to let this information inform and change who you are and how you see the world.

As always, please feel free to email or call with any questions.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

-Gen. Walk

Letter Home

Hello Sword Scholars!

Thank you to General Schmieder for her awesome lecture on the battles of Chickamauga, Chattanooga, and the Wilderness. The tremendous fortitude both sides exhibited, even as they endured great difficulties in such perilous circumstances, was a great example of courage and perseverance!

Speaking of perseverance, PLEASE REMEMBER the FOLLOWING assignments for next week:

-Finish Abraham Lincoln - FOR REAL this time!

-Write your letter home, as if you have just fought in the battle at Gettysburg.

-Finish any outstanding papers - check the blog for papers already assigned...they should all be listed in previous entries.

-MEMORIZE, MEMORIZE, MEMORIZE!!!!

Good luck, and see you on Thursday!

-Gen. Walk

Abraham Lincoln

Hi Sword Scholars-

Yesterday we talked a lot about the requirements you are all working on to earn your sword.

Last year, the Sword class had almost every person earn their sword.

I hope this year we can improve the record with 100% of all of you scholars passing off every single requirement.

The hardest parts will be the memorization pieces.

We worked on this, and I ENCOURAGE you all to work on it EVERYDAY! Practice makes perfect....or so they say.   :-)

In class we reviewed what we learned (or didn't!) about Gettysburg with a quiz from General Schmieder. Thank you! It was awesome! We then reviewed what habits and behaviors we could use to better study the information and material we are learning about in this class. I particularly appreciated Archie's 3 study tips:  1 - Take better notes.    2 - Study those notes!   3 - Participate in conversation in class, regarding the lecture topics.

SUPER FANTASTIC Archie. All I can say to that is AMEN!


For next week:

Finish reading Abraham Lincoln before class - we will have our book discussion!

Work on your papers

Work on your memorization pieces


Please let us know if you need any help. That's what we're here for.

Thanks!

-General Walk and General Schmieder

Hero Report

Sword Scholars-

Yesterday in class, we did our poetry recitation. It was great! You guys did very well, and I appreciate the time and care that you took to prepare a way in which to share your thoughts and feelings on this period in history. Thank you!

We finished analyzing the Emancipation Proclamation. It was a very PIVOTAL document that changed the course of our nation: morally, politically and economically. I believe God blessed our nation for the

progress that was made after than pronouncement and policy change.

Then we simulated the Battle of Gettysburg on Teacher Lisa's AWESOME hand-drawn map!  It was very cool to see all of the different generals and brigades involved. To hear how each individual general's decision and movements affected this happenstance battle.

Benjamin provided MUCH detail and assistance in mapping out who/what/where/when for the battle. We SO appreciate your expertise in history, Benjamin!

Unfortunately, we weren't able to finish studying the battle because the class mostly consisted of TOO MUCH unrelated side conversation!!!!

We also discussed the Hero Report (requirement) and encouraged you to CHOOSE your hero from the Civil War Era. We will work on these in class next week so BRING resources to assist you in your report!  Books, articles, etc...

Next week we will revisit the battle, talk about the major figures, and possibly play a Gettysburg game. We'll also analyze the Gettysburg address.

Have a great week! And come prepared next week to better participate in class. Thanks!

Assignments

Choose hero and assemble resources to begin research - bring resources to class next week

Finish (or get close to finishing) Abraham Lincoln

Work on Memorization requirements

Complete/turn in lagging writing assignments

Poem on a Civil War Subtopic

Hello Sword Scholars!

Recap on this week's assignments:

1 - Start reading "Abraham Lincoln" by Wilber F. Gordy - book discussion in 3 weeks, so try to read at least 1/3 of the book by next class period

2 - Write your poem about something you have studied about this time period - turn it in next week!

3 - Make, use and BRING your To-Do List to show General Schmieder!

4 - Catch up on any old papers you haven't turned in

5 - MEMORIZE your scriptures re: govt, songs, and the Gettysburg Address!

This week in class, we had an awesome presentation by Hannah on "The Underground Railroad." GREAT JOB Hannah! It was really interesting learning about the quilts that may have been used as guides to help the slaves on their journey to freedom in the north. And the great courage of the conductors! They were a great example of breaking the law when the law was immoral. What an awesome illustration of moral courage! Thank you to Hannah for that enlightening presentation.

We did a quick study (started anyway) of the Emancipation Proclamation. We will continue this next week, so look forward to it!

And General Schmieder gave us an awesome lecture on the battles at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. It is incredible to think that there were 200,000 soldiers fighting in the first urban combat of the war.  

The Battle of Fredericksburg VA in December of 1862 led to the worst looting in the war thus far, embarrassing the troops and their generals.

The Battle of Chancellorsville from April to May of 1863 was the bloodiest to date in the war. Over 30,000 casualties resulted from the terrible skirmish. 

We learned that the Red Badge of Courage (book and movie) was based upon this actual battle! The courage the men showed in these events is remarkable, and character building for all those who bravely fought.

All right....get ready next week for a Gettysburg immersion.

Work hard, and we'll see you in a few more days!

-General Walk

Is it Ever Wrong to Follow the Law; If so, When & Why?

Hello Sword Scholars!

I am so looking forward to tomorrow. Movie day is going to be the best! Don't forget to bring a sack lunch, snack(s) to share, and maybe a pillow/blanket.

Class was really great today. I LOVE having YOU ALL give the LECTURE! You were so GREAT! I learned a lot more about Antietam, Shiloh, and the Unconstitutional Acts occurring throughout the Civil War. It is amazing to think about the huge sacrifices our forebears made during this time, and about the fear that they would experience as they faced their countrymen in battle.

Remember the definition of casualty? Not just one who died in battle, but one who was wounded as well, right? It is incredible to learn that roughly 25% of the battles' participants would become wounded or dead at Shiloh or Antietam. Not great odds!

And we all love President Lincoln. But, just as others before and after him, this president wielded his power in ways that didn't always preserve the freedom of the people. How did it make you feel to learn some of the slick/seemingly necessary actions he took that were not upheld by the constitution? Did their "necessity" justify Lincoln's actions? This is an important question on which I ENCOURAGE you to ponder.

DO THE ENDS JUSTIFY THE MEANS?

Okay...I know...and you thought class was over!

So...assignments:

**Finish Across Five Aprils  - book discussion is next week!

**Write your paper on "Is it ever wrong to follow the law; if so, when and why?

**HANNAH - finish prepping your presentation on the Underground Railroad - you present next week!

**Continue working on MEMORIZATION of music, Gettysburg Address, and Scripture re: government (you were supposed to choose this on your own).

If you need help choosing scriptures on government, your parents would be excellent resources.

If you still need some direction on this after talking to your parents, let me know and I will try to help you identify some you can use.

Have a marvelous week, and we'll see you on SATURDAY, 9 am at my house!

-General Walk

Is Secession Constitutional

Hey Sword Scholars!

We had an awesome time in class today. 

Thank you to ADAM who gave a GREAT presentation on the life of a slave! We learned of some of the severe hardships the slave populace had to endure before our nation made the slave trade illegal. We are SO grateful to live in times of enlightenment and equal treatment and opportunity!

Remember, ARCHIE - you are up next week for your presentation!

General Schmeider helped us learn some of the turbulent political history surrounding the secession of the Southern states. Seen through the lense of "great economic disparity", we can understand why the South would want to part ways with the North, in order to sustain their quality of life.

We discussed Uncle Tom's Cabin! We talked about our favorite characters, their individual motivations, the villains and heroes, and how reading this life-changing volume affected us each personally. YOU WERE ALL SO GREAT during discussion today! You have such meaningful observations, insights into the connections and meanings found within the text, and most importantly, real convictions found or deepened by reading such a great work. KUDOS to you for coming prepared to discuss with us!

If you didn't finish the book, please do so, and then discuss the book with either General Walk or General Schmeider.

ASSIGNMENTS for the Week

*Write your paper on "Is secession constitutional?"

*Being reading "Across Five Aprils" - book discussion is only 2 weeks away on this!!!!!!!

*Work on memorization 

*Catch up on any delinquent papers/assignments

*Continue being the awesome, hard-working scholars you are!

-General Walk

When evil is being done......

FIRST THINGS FIRST:  Sword of Freedom Movie Day at General Walk's house is Saturday, October 17th from 9 am to 6 pm.  We will be watching 3 movies (this is one of your requirements!) so it will be a fairly long day. Feel free to bring stuff to keep your hands busy...knitting, coloring, legos, whatever.  :-)

Please bring a sack lunch, as well as snacks to share with everyone for the day. It is a LONG day, and I'd like to test a theory: the more snacks we eat, the more we get out of the movies! Sounds right....anyway...


This week in class was intense!

We talked about a WHOLE lot of history, from the prelude of the Bleeding Kansas incidents, all the way through the tension of the Fractured election of 1860.

We also learned about the Cycles of History, discussed principles of generational cycles and archetypes (Prophet, Nomad, Hero, Arist) set forth in The Fourth Turning, and learned you are all HEROES! Lucky you. Your Generals are just NOMADS.  :-)  But at least we are happy and fulfilled in our wanderings....

Anyway, MATTHEW did a great job on his presentation on spies! Thank you Matthew! I heard a rumor (via a telegram I received recently) that some late presentation treats may appear next week. Well, we shall see, I suppose. STOP.

OK...ASSIGNMENTS:

-Write your paper on "When evil is being done, is it right to respond with evil?"
-Finish Uncle Tom's Cabin!
-ADAM - finish your presentation on Life as a Slave - you present next week!

Carry on, soldiers. We'll see you next week!

-Generals Schmeider and Walk

Is Compromise a good thing? Why or why not?

Greetings fellow Sword pursuers!

Yesterday's class, as you all know, was FABULOUS!

Benjamin lead us in some awesome military drills/exercises he's learned at the Civil Air Patrol. "Left hace, right hace, about hace! (why don't we pronounce the "f" again?) ....and so on. It was really fun and informative. Thank you Benjamin!

Kaleigh gave a superb presentation on FOOD in the Civil war Army. Are we not grateful to live in such prosperous times? I know some of you enjoyed the hard tack (it was pretty good), but it sure doesn't beat pizza or sesame chicken! How about having to buy your own milk or butter in the army? 

Our servicemen sacrificed so much for our nation's unity and stability. We are so blessed by their willingness to put others' well-being above their own safety. GREAT job on your presentation Kaleigh!

MATTHEW - you have your presentation next week on SPIES in the Civil War

General Schmeider related to us the FASCINATING prelude to the Civil War. She spent an amazing amount of time preparing the awesome lecture, and we ate it up! We took notes furiously, because she was SO good! The events leading up the Civil War illuminate the reasons behind its intensity, length and importance.

And then there was the blue birthday cake.... YUM!

PLEASE REMEMBER - ASSIGNMENTS for NEXT WEEK

-Finish Uncle Tom's Cabin (discussion in 2 Thursdays!)

-Write/Bring your paper on "Is Compromise a Good Thing? Why or Why not?"

-Write/Bring your paper (that was due yesterday) on Allegiance (if you didn't yet)

-Continue working on memorizing The Gettysburg Address and songs

-MAKE, USE and BRING your TO-DO Lists! General Schmeider will reward you!

-MATTHEW - you have your presentation next week on SPIES in the Civil War - so get it ready! You'll be great!

Where does your Allegiance lie?

Welcome to Sword everyone! 

Today was a great class. We were so excited to:

   - get to know you better (thanks for those surveys!)
   - exercise with you (oh, you crazy wall sits, you!)
   - talk about proper note taking and and proper lecture behavior
   - see your eyes light up with the knowledge that YOU CAN  complete the requirements and earn the SWORD!


We talked about award requirements, rules, class behaviors, and TIME MANAGEMENT! General Schmeider hooked us up with some awesome advice about how to get IMPORTANT things DONE!

This week, your assignments are:

- Read Uncle Tom's Cabin (only a few weeks left before the colloquium!)
- Work on your presentations - KALEIGH --> you are up next week!
- Write a paper on the question, "Where is your allegiance and why?"
- ASK YOUR PARENTS what Saturdays in October and November are free for a movie day
- ASK YOUR PARENTS which battle activity they would financially support...paintballing (out of pocket for you or your parents) or airsoft/nerf/water balloon war (if you have airsoft guns we can borrow this should be LOW cost)


Remember, as you are passing off requirements, you advance in rank.
The person with the greatest rank each class period, gets SPECIAL PRIVILEGES!

And you can get to class early to steal your opponent's flag...for bragging rights.

See you next Thursday!

- Generals Walk and Schmeider