Experiencing the Inauguration

I had the pleasure of watching the Inauguration with our third grade class earlier today and to share in their experience of this monumental event. The children sat quietly, eating their lunches and watching the arrival of dignitaries on the podium. As Mrs. Obama entered carrying the Lincoln Bible, the television was muted so that we could hear a brief report from Troy. After learning last week about the significance of the Lincoln Bible, the class had wondered which presidents had sworn their oath on the Bible first used by George Washington. According to Troy's research, they were Warren Harding, Dwight Eisenhower, Jimmy Carter and George H. W. Bush.

Throughout the building, the rest of the classes had gathered with teachers and administrators, often two or three grades together, to witness this moment. The second grade then returned to their room to enjoy the apple pies they had made this morning with apples contributed by each student. They had learned about simile on Friday with "As American as apple pie," and today they got to enjoy the symbol for themselves!

Back in T. Claire's room, the third grade marked the inauguration of the first African American president by singing Amazing Grace. This spiritual is known to many, but you may not know that it was written in 1772 by John Newton, a former slave trader turned minister. It is one of several songs that the third graders learn through their study of the Abolition Movement and Underground Railroad. It is not lost on them that descendants of slaves took up residence today in our nation's executive mansion - a house built with slave labor.

Perhaps the most moving part of the Inauguration for me was Elizabeth Alexander's reading of her poem, Praise Song for the Day. In words that are accessible to children and adults alike, she conveys images of both the history that has led to this moment as well as the reality of our lives today, and invokes a sense of limitless possibility. As a former history teacher, it seems to me that those are the elements of every good lesson.