Schools

Class separates Washington facts from myths

A dual enrollment class helps Hudson High juniors get a taste of college.

By MICHELE MILLER, Times Staff Writer
Published October 31, 2007

HUDSON - He never chopped down a cherry tree and his dentures weren't made of wood, rather fashioned from cows teeth and those of poor folks who in those days, would sell their teeth to the wealthy.

Steven Turner, Jennifer Hurst and Megan Bellerose had been hearing the myths about George Washington ever since they started learning about the first president in kindergarten.

Maybe even before that.

Now they are college-bound high school juniors who are getting a clearer picture of Washington, along with a taste of what college will be like, in Eric Johnson's dual enrollment history class at Hudson High.

When they graduate, the students who pass Johnson's dual enrollment class will already have eight college credits racked up via Pasco-Hernando Community College's dual enrollment program. And it's free.

Ask them what they've been learning about Washington in that class and they will tell you:

"He was 11 when his father died so he had to work hard and make his own way," said Jennifer Hurst, 17.

"He couldn't go to college so became a land surveyor before going into the military," Steven Turner, 16, said. "Then he delivered a letter to the French and his whole world changed."

"He was tall. He was a gentleman and a lady's man. He was charismatic. He wasn't the best general," said Megan Bellerose, 16.

Their studies have taken them back in time. First, they turned to the small screen and Cable in the Classroom - where the History Channel's seriesSave Our History:The Search for George Washington has given students a clearer idea of who he was and what he really looked like.

Then on to places like the research library at the University of South Florida, where they had a chance to read and his last will and testament.

Through some of his journal entries there, said Megan, "We really got to know him. I'm a history buff. The fact that we got to see those things is just mind blowing."

Recently students made their own George Washington time-lines and brought those same lessons over to the students at Northwest Elementary because that's one of those beneficial exchanges.

Sometimes you retain that information better when you teach it to someone else.

Sometimes you're more willing to learn when the teaching comes from someone who's not all that much older than you are.

"That was fun," said Jennifer. "I like working with kids. I like to see their faces when they do crafts and stuff. They're like 'high school kids - cool!'

"I want to be a teacher."

But there's still more to learn and yes, it gets better.

In January, over the winter break, Johnson will take 30 students and four chaperones to Washington, D.C., to do a real field research project on George Washington.

There they will go to the Smithsonian Institute, Mount Vernon and the preservation lab at Ferry Farms - the place where Washington and his family moved to after his father died and where Eric Johnson worked on an archeological dig as a graduate student.

"This is a chance that most students don't get unless they are in grad school. To do field research helps them get recognition when they apply to college," said Johnson, who will also take his students on a side trip to Gettysburg, Pa.

"I'm really excited about this trip," said Jennifer. "I've been saving my money. I worked this whole summer for this."

"I'm so jealous - I'd like to go," said assistant principal Scott Davey, who worked to get approval for the trip. "Eric is so excited about doing anything outside the classroom. Any time a teacher wants do this - to take students outside a classroom to apply what they've been learning, we really owe it to them to make it happen. And in this class they're so hungry for knowledge."

Having "an awesome teacher" like Johnson certainly helps, said Megan. "I know that sounds cheesy, but he genuinely enjoys teaching and that makes history so much more interesting."

HOW TO HELP

Capital or bust

Hudson High students in Eric Johnson's class have held fundraisers to help defray the cost of a trip to Washington, D.C. To help, call assistant principal Scott Davey at (727) 774-4200 or send donations to Hudson High, 14410 Cobra Way, Hudson, FL 34669.

[Last modified October 30, 2007, 20:17:31]