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THEPRESS.NET
SEPTEMBER 3, 2010
EDUCATION
Having a blast with American history by Samie Hartley Staff Writer
“I’m about to make some noise,” declared historian Roy Wells as students at Edna Hill Middle School let out a collective OMG gasp. It’s not every day a man comes to campus with a gun and isn’t tackled by police officers. As Wells aimed his 18th-century British Brown Bess, loaded with a blank, the silent crowd of students and teachers covered their ears awaiting the roar of the blast, but no one anticipated the magnitude of the “pop” that could be heard throughout campus. Earlier this year, Wells treated the eighth-grade Bobcats to a discussion about the Civil War,. But this time around he was talking to a new group of students about the nitty-gritty of what really happened during the American War of Independence in the 1770s. “How many of you think history is the dullest subject they teach you in school?” Wells asked prior to his presentation. As nearly every hand in the crowd of approximately 100 students quickly shot into the air, Wells nodded in agreement. “I know. I know,” Wells told the students. “But it’s not history that’s boring. Our history is filled with adventure. It’s the way the state asks your teachers to teach history that is the dull part. If I had to learn about history from a textbook that just listed dates and important events, I’d be bored too.” So rather than bore the students, Wells, dressed in eraappropriate attire, discussed the little-known facts about the Revolution, such as what type of weapons were used by the Americans and the British, how female spies were used to gain information from the British and why the French really got involved in the war. To explain what soldiers’ lives were like, Wells dressed student volunteers in authentic clothing from the period and
Photos by Samie Hartley
Roy Wells, left, discharges an 18th-century British Brown Bess for students at Edna Hill Middle School. Above, he demonstrates how frontiersmen scalped British soldiers during the American War of Independence. explained all the various items a particular soldier would have on his person at any given time. And the volunteers got to feel it as Wells strapped them down with cartridge boxes and haversacks. While the demonstration was an eye-opener for students, history teacher Phil Rodriquez said the students were most excited about the presentation’s conclusion: the firing of muskets. “The kids, in general, thought his insight was interesting and were particularly fascinated by his firing of the rifles,” he said. “The sound they produced was a shock to many. I reminded my class that these rifles and muskets were being fired a couple hundred at a time. Could they imagine that? That debunks a lot of what Hollywood feeds us as reality.” Debunking Hollywood’s portrayal of history is one of the main reasons Wells takes his historical presentations throughout the Bay Area – a task he undertakes voluntarily without monetary compensation. He is simply gratified knowing that kids are experiencing history beyond textbooks.
Edna Hill Principal Kirsten Jobb agreed. While students will remember the sound of the gun fire or the scalping demonstration, in which one of their peers bravely stood in as a model while Wells explained how the procedure was conducted and why, Jobb hopes that students will understand what a privilege it is to experience Wells’ presentations. “I’m not sure if it’s really sunk in for most of the students, but it is such an honor for Roy to share his time with us. For free no less,” Jobb said. “For as much information and authenticity he brings to his presentations, we’d never be able to afford him, so we’re really lucky to have him. I just hope that kids absorb this material and rethink how they feel about history. A lot of the sixth- and seventh-graders are already looking forward to seeing the presentation when they’re eighth-graders. So it’s great to see the students excited about learning.” For more information about Wells’ history presentations, visit his Web site at www.historywell.com. To comment, visit www.thepress.net.
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