Sail Martha's Vineyard!
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Connecticut teachers learn to tie knots at Mystic's "Voyages In Learning."
teem are also, suddenly, necessary to survival. "While we do not expect most of our students to choose a sailor' s life," says Pennoyer, "we do feel that young people who discover their worth in that challenging environment will carry a confidence and an open mind toward learning through their lives." Perhaps Arlene Rhodes spoke for Pennoyer and other teachers when she asked: "What else can we do to foster an awareness and an appreciation of the sea and the history of man's travels on it?" Voyages in Learning Surely it would be good, as a first step, if we could develop more teachers like Paul Pennoyer. Jan Larson, Supervisor of School Programs at Mystic Seaport Museum, has created a fun , intensive, resource-rich program to do just that, introducing teachers to the depth and possibilities of maritime history and forging links between schools and museums. She launched "Voyages In Learning" with thi s premise: "You can give a person a fish and feed him for a day or you can teach a person to fi sh and feed him for a lifetime." Her goals are "first, to demonstrate the significance of America 's relation to the sea and the richness of our maritime heritage, second, to enable teachers to use mu seums and museum teaching methods with confidence and enthusiasm and, finally, to build partnerships between classroom teachers and museum educators. "All of these goals are intertwined," Larson points out, "and have something built into them that looks to the future. " There is a balancing act between what teachers and museum educators expect out of the experiences: "While staff may want to instill skills and awareness and content, teachers need fi sh and they need it for Monday , thank you very much." Larson 's answer to this challenge? "The real secret, the real goal, is to teach that teacher to love fi sh." "Voyages In Leaming" is certainly the place to learn to love fish. After five SEA HISTORY 63, AUTUMN 1992
days of discovery at Mystic Seaport, teachers of fourth through twelfth graders return home armed with the tools they need to create lesson plans designed for their own students. The experience begins over a weekend in October when 20 to 25 teachers gather in Mystic to meet the staff and initiate the partnership of museum and classroom educators. They spend Saturday morning participating in hands-on tours and programs in exhibits throughout the village. The afternoon is devoted to lectures on history, literature and art, and, often, a venture into singing sea chanties. On Sunday, the museum charters a schooner and the whole group goes to sea. This crash course in the whole experience of sailing is followed-up by additional visits in November and January when the teachers return to get involved in the nitty-gritty of interpreting material culture. Once the teachers have this under their belts, Larson gives them an assignment-to return in February with lesson plans and a bibliography created out of their brief immersion in maritime history . The teachers share their ideas, critique each other's presentations and discuss student responses. They are also encouraged to return and use the resources of the museum and the library. Jan Larson reports: 'T m trying really hard to teach them how to fi sh, but at the same time, any kind of material that the museum has already developed-audio programs, videos-I always wantto give them everything I can of that." To this end, she wants to edit and publish the best of the lesson plans. She gives this advice to anyone designing such a program: "Build in a follow-up, don ' t make it a one-night stand, keep going back- and bring in the kids!" To be continued
As summer ended, a remarkable committee devoted to bringing a vital island heritage to life went out for a sail with Captain Robert Douglas in his great topsail schooner Shenandoah to discuss the first year of Sail Martha 's Vineyard. Nancy Hoffman conceived this effort while running theNathan Mayhew Seminars on Martha's Vineyard, the island that breasts the open Atlantic south of Cape Cod. As she ex plains it, she began to focus on curricula to meet the needs of the island community, and this led to an effort to develop the maritime traditions of the island, including those of the Portuguese who came to man the fishing fleet and of the Wampanoag Indians who had been there since time out of mind. So, in this past summer of the tall s hip s in American waters, Nancy Hoffman went to work with Joe Hall , manager of the Black Dog Tavern , to round up a committee that would bring great ships to the island in a re-enactment of the great days of sail when whaling ships from the far comers of the world , coasting schooners and fishing smacks filled Vineyard and Nantucket Sounds with tall masts and broad canvas. NMHS stalwart Ralph Packer went to work to link up with the ships. He was joined by Bob Douglas of Shenandoah, NMHS Hon. Trustee Tom Hale and other Vineyard sailing people. Maritime Initiative Chairman Walter Cronkite became Honorary Chairman of the effort. As a result, the barkentine Gazela of Philadelphia, formerly of the Portuguese Grand Banks fishing fleet, came to the Vineyard. So did Denmark 's lovely full rigger Danmark, the US Coast Guard's bark Eagle, and the frigate replica "HMS" Rose, among others. All four of the island 's harbors were kept busy with small craft ferry ing people ashore, and a grand cookout was held on the beach at Menemsha Bight. This was good for the ships-several of which plan to come by again next yearand for the islanders whose horizons were broadened by the ships and their people. The whole heritage of the island, and its whole resource in people, was part of these observances, along with the summer people and yachtsmen who visit the Vineyard. Plans are now taking shape for classroom and outdoor programs next year, continuing this year's good beginning. We will report further in these pages. PS
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Let us hear from you, your thoughts and experiences. We' re going to publish reader comments. Send $20 to receive the Maritime Education Packet. 9