Clara Comstock: Teacher and Orphan Train caretaker

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Clara Comstock

Teacher Clara Comstock, second from right, with a colleague and a group of homeless children she escorted on an Orphan Train. Circa 1910

In American history there are many examples of dedicated educators going above and beyond in order to help young students, both inside the classroom and in their personal lives. One of these was Clara Comstock, a hardworking teacher from New York. Clara was born on July 5, 1879, in Hartsville, New York, the daughter of hardy pioneer stock. Her father was a farmer and blacksmith. As a young girl, Clara was educated at the Canisteo Academy in the neighboring town of Canisteo, New York. She graduated in 1895 at the age of 16 and spent the next several years working on her teacher’s training courses. Clara inaugurated her career as a teacher in 1903 at the Brace Memorial Farm School in Valhalla, New York. Her students were New York City “street Arabs,” homeless boys that were orphaned, abandoned, or removed from their homes because their parents were deemed unfit or unable to adequately care form them. At the Farm School, these kids were taught fundamental literacy skills such as reading, writing, and mathematics, some vocational training, including carpentry, shoe-making, and box-making. After a few years, in order to be of greater service to homeless kids, Clara accepted a position with the Children’s Aid Society (CAS), an organization which still exists today to benefit needy children. The CAS organized the famous Orphan Trains, small groups of children that were transported west and placed in foster homes on farms and in rural communities. Clara escorted many of these groups, conducted background checks on prospective foster parents, and made periodic checks on the children she placed. She did this work until her retirement in 1928, then she spent another two decades working for the CAS in-state foster care program. During her lifetime, Clara placed more than 12,000 homeless children in homes, painstakingly keeping track of each one of them until they reached adulthood. She kept a personal diary and filled several trunks with meticulous records of the children she worked with. Decades later, these records became invaluable resources for Orphan Train riders who were seeking information about their origins. You can read more about this amazing and dedicated teacher and the orphan train system in my book Chalkboard Champions, available on amazon.

Carrie Chapman Catt: Suffragist and Iowa schoolteacher

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Carrie chapman Catt

Suffragette and Iowa schoolteacher Carrie Chapman Catt.

Many times throughout history, talented teachers earn national recognition for achievements outside of the classroom. Such is certainly the case for Carrie Chapman Catt, a schoolteacher from Iowa who labored tirelessly to earn the vote for women.

She was born Carrie Clinton Lane in Ripon, Wisconsin, to parents Lucius and Maria Louisa Lane. Carrie was raised in Charles City, Iowa, where her family had moved when she was seven.

After high school, Carrie graduated from Iowa State Agricultural College, having worked her way through school as a teacher in the summer months. Her father, a subsistence farmer, contributed only $25 a year to her education, partly because he didn’t have a lot of financial resources, but mostly because he didn’t believe in advanced education for girls. But the young woman was determined to get a college degree. After her graduation, she continued to teach, earning a stellar reputation as an educator. In time, she was promoted to the position of  superintendent of schools.

Carrie could have remained in that comfortable job until retirement, but she was determined to improve the lives of the women of her day. The right to vote for women became her life’s passion. The intrepid teacher became one of the leading forces for the Suffragist movement, which lobbied state by state, and eventually descended upon Washington, DC, to pressure Congress into passing a constitutional amendment that would grant women the right to vote. Once that goal was accomplished, Carrie spent the rest of her life advocating for peace and human rights.

You can read about the life of this remarkable educator in my recently published book, Chalkboard Heroes: Twelve Courageous Teachers and Their Deeds of Valor, now available on amazon.

Field trip to Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum generates mind-shift

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Vincent Van Gpgh

Author Terry Lee Marzell on her recent field trip to the Vincent Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Just about every educator would agree that field trips are an excellent example of experiential learning, and a terrific learning tool for teachers. But, let’s be realistic, very few teachers can afford to escort a group of students to Europe. Most of the time the best the teacher can do is take a tour personally, and then share the experience with the class upon return home. One field trip I would definitely recommend to any art teacher is a tour of the Vincent Van Gogh Museum located in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

I have to say, visiting this museum, coupled with my reading of Irving Stone’s landmark biographical novel Lust for Life, truly expanded my knowledge and appreciation of this iconic 19th-century Dutch painter. Here’s what I learned. In Van Gogh’s day, most painters studied how to realistically reproduce pictures of the human body, because they relied on painting portraits of wealthy patrons in order to earn a living. Many of these portraits depicted prominent citizens and their families or servants seated in the affluent surroundings of their homes or businesses. Usually, these portraits were pragmatic representations using dark and somber colors, steady brush strokes, and clear outlines for the objects in their works.

Van Gogh

“View of Arles with Irises in the Foreground” by Vincent Van Gogh in 1888. Hanging in the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

But Van Gogh was an innovator. He preferred to paint pictures depicting breathtaking landscapes of expansive fields full of blooming flowers. If he chose to paint portraits, his subjects were the common working man and his family, such as farmers or coal miners. These were portraits Van Gogh did not get paid for. He didn’t worry about earning a living because most of his life he was supported by his younger brother. Van Gogh’s paintings are characterized by brilliant colors and swirly, dramatic brush strokes which convey energy and movement. And as forerunner of the impressionist movement, he used indistinct outlines for the objects in his works.

Once inside the museum, standing before these stunning paintings, I fell in love with Van Gogh’s art.

What I learned about Van Gogh through my reading and my field trip to the Amsterdam museum is probably nothing new to the art teacher. But because of these experiences I achieved a monumental mind-shift in my understanding and appreciation of art in general, particularly 19th-century art, and specifically Van Gogh’s art. This mind-shift would not likely have occurred otherwise. This is what the educator hopes to achieve through field trips.

Van Gogh

In a tour to the Vincent Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the visitor encounters this image of the famous Dutch painter, surrounded by a comprehensive exhibit of his self-portraits.

Taking a field trip to Hitler’s famous Eagle’s Nest

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Hitler's Eagle's Nest

Author Terry Lee Marzell recently took a field trip to Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest, shown here. The site is located near the town of Berchtesgaden in the Bavaria region of Germany.

When teaching students about historical figures, it always helps to take a field trip to places associated with the figure in question. Visiting places connected to former Nazi leader Adolf Hitler is difficult, though, because so many of them have been destroyed since WWII. One site that still exists, and is open to the public, is Hitler’s famous Eagle’s Nest.

The Eagle’s Nest, known in German as the Kehlsteinhaus, was built in 1939. It is located near the town of Berchtesgaden in the Bavaria region of Germany. An impressive feet of engineering, it was built on the 6,000-foot summit of Kehlstein Mountain. The incline is so steep that the vehicles which transport visitors to the entrance must be specially equipped to handle the slant.

To access the house, Hitler was driven through an entry tunnel. Today’s visitor passes through the tunnel on foot. Next, Hitler used an elaborately-decorated elevator to ascend the 400-foot shaft that leads to the house. The elevator’s ornate design was intended to impress visitors, and it certainly impressed us, until we remembered that our feet were standing on the very same ground that former Nazis stood on. The elevator seemed spacious—large enough for about 20 people—but not large enough for Hitler, who was reportedly claustrophobic. He never fully trusted the device, and riding in it made him exceedingly nervous.

At right, the reception hall of Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest as it was during WWII.  Notice the grand red Italian marble fireplace gifted to Hitler by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. At left, Hitler (far right) and his guests admire the stunning views.

Once you have reached the top, we toured the rooms used by the Nazis for government meetings, receptions, and social events. In the main hall, the showpiece architectural element is the grand fireplace of red Italian marble, a gift from Italian dictator and Nazi ally Benito Mussolini. The unfurnished stone rooms were stark and cold, and seemed harsh in comparison to the spectacular views that could be seen through the windows. Even photographs from Hitler’s day showing the rooms in use, outfitted with thick carpets, overstuffed furniture pieces, and a blazing fire in the fireplace, do not make the room appear soft and warm. It’s almost as if the bleak interiors of the rooms mirror the interiors of the stony hearts of those who used them.

Hitler's Eagle's Nest

Author Terry Lee Marzell admires the spectacular views from Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest in Germany.

Ahh, but the views were breathtaking. The natural beauty of the vast landscape was wasted on Hitler, though, who was afraid of heights. For this reason, he visited the Nazi showcase only 14 times. But in my opinion, the views alone are worth the trek to the summit.

Of course, the best way for a teacher to share the experience this historical place with students is through a field trip, but since travelling to Germany with your class is unlikely, you and your students can learn more about Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest from a visit to the site’s official website at Kehlsteinhaus.