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"When Who's Buried in Grant's Tomb? Is More Than a Trivia Question",,"In the summer of 2006, my best friend and I stumbled upon a book called, Who's Buried in Grant's Tomb. The book summarizes the post-presidential lives of the American Presidents, details their passing and funerals, and finishes with a commentary on each. After reviewing how close many of them were to our apartment in Virginia, we decided to embark on a pilgrimage to the burial sites. What followed has been a decade plus journey throughout the country to the biggest of big cities, New York, to the smallest of small towns, Plymouth Notch, to visit these final resting places.
Each site, like the president memorialized is unique in its own way. Some presidents, like Lincoln, have giant memorials that match their legacies where others, like Coolidge, are the definition of unpretentious. Some, like Washington, are on sprawling plantations. Others, like Van Buren, are in rural cemeteries. This is a testament to the impact that power and privilege play even in death.
Traipsing through countless cemeteries, I have often reflected on the role that memory and memorialization play in our lives. Mixed in with some presidents are people whose stories have long been forgotten or, perhaps worse, were never even told. I wonder: Who are these people? Why are they buried here? What was their life like? Thankfully public historians are actively seeking to rectify this.
When I mention my macabre hobby I inevitably get asked, ""Why?"" The easy answer is that it blends my interest in the presidency and my love of travel. The more philosophical answer? I suppose there is a particular unexpectedness of observing the humanities in a cemetery, yet what is more universally human then death? For it is on these trips with my best friend, other friends, family, and my wife that I have felt the greatest connection to people. Be it laughing with friends on a car trip, eating and connecting with the local townspeople, or meeting and reflecting with other history aficionados.
So who is buried in Grant's tomb? Well, not even Ulysses Grant as he is interred above ground.","Brian Lamb","Who's Buried in Grant's Tomb?: A Tour of Presidential Gravesites",,"Summer 2006","Bradley T. Swain, 38, Social Studies Teacher at West Springfield High School",,,,,,buried-grant-tomb-more-than-trivia-question,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,"Professional Development ","Discovery,Equality,Gravestones,History,Memorials,Presidents of the United States,Public Spaces",https://humanitiesmoments.org/files/original/4/527/veteran-1885567_640.jpg,Text,Educators,1,0
"Perspective from Waiting for Superman",,"When I was in high school, there was an incredible amount of buzz around a new documentary, Waiting for Superman. The documentary focused on the struggle some students faced to get a quality education in major U.S. cities, like Washington, D.C. For many the film was enlightening, but for some the idea of ""lottery schools"" were controversial.
My teacher encouraged our entire AP English class to watch this documentary, as we were all attending a nationally ranked ""lottery school"" just a few miles outside of Washington, D.C in Arlington, Virginia. She encouraged us to look for the similarities and differences in the two education systems that were separated by only a few miles. To set the stage, I lived in Arlington with my family, and our home was situated 3.5 miles from the Washington Monument. My neighborhood school was a nationally ranked Top 10 High School as calculated by the U.S. News and World Report, while the lottery school I was attending was a nationally ranked Top 3 High School as determined by the U.S. News and World Report. No matter which school I went to, I would have had a great education by any standard.
Before watching this film, I had never thought of the privilege that my zip code brought me. I never knew how vastly different the education system was 10 minutes from my home. It had never occurred to me that some students worry about whether their school is able to provide what they need to have the life they want for themselves. This film showed me that the education system was not ""fair"", nor equal. I didn't ""earn"" my zip code, I was simply born into it. Thus, I didn't ""earn"" my education; I didn't do anything special to obtain my education.
Every student is entitled to a quality education, no matter their zip code. After seeing this film, I was convinced that something needed to be changed in our education system. Every student deserves to have access to the same education that I was able to experience. It is a basic right for students to be safe, supported, and challenged to their greatest ability in school. All children should have access to a top tier educational experience. No child should have to worry about having access to a quality education. The lasting impact this film had on me, ultimately led me to choose a career in education as a teacher.","Davis Guggenheim","Waiting for Superman",,2010,"Samantha, 27, Teacher",,,,,,perspective-waiting-superman,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,"Craig Perrier","Access,Documentary Films,Education,Equality,Guggenheim, Davis,Learning",https://humanitiesmoments.org/files/original/4/519/bus-2690793_640.jpg,Text,Educators,1,0