So here's the short of it, 
Today was a great in-service. 

And here's the long.

I got permission to be at the Social Studies in-service where Facing History presented to High School teachers in the morning and Middle school teachers in the afternoon.  In the morning session with the High School teachers the heat wasn't working and we were freezing, the sound system which had been checked out the day before wasn't working so it was very difficult to hear.  But we had the honor to have as our guest speaker Dr. Rip Patton, one of the Freedom Riders from Nashville during 1961.  It was a wonderful experience to hear this personal narrative.  I'm really hoping that sometime this year or next we'll be able to have him come back for students to hear.

He encouraged all us educators to watch the documentary Freedom Riders, as well as NBC White Paper, and one called A Force More Powerful.  I've seen parts of the first two, but I'm going to have to find A Force MOre Powerful.  His presentation reminded us that even though we have our students study the leaders of the historical movements and eras, what's really missing in our understanding of the history of any period is the knowledge of the "foot soldiers" - those with boots on the ground who really made things happen.

I'm glad I got permission to hear him - and in spite of the difficulties many of the teachers said this was one of the best in-service presentations they had been to in years.