What better way to teach culture in American History than to address it through sport.  Today we went to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.  We first had a brief professional development discussion and were introduced to the museum website www.baseballhall.org.  At this website a great wealth of knowledge is available through a variety of topics.  One can easily envision some kind of a collaborative thematic unit using baseball as a central theme.  That topic alone should insure buy in by some of our most difficult male students.  One particular lesson that looked great for students was the “Cost of Being a Fan” lesson.  Included was a spreadsheet detailing all of the expenses encountered when attending a professional baseball game.  This of course varies by city and ballpark.  It encourages students to budget and use math skills to understand basic economic principles.  I really like the idea of the video conferencing lessons directly from the Hall of Fame.  Unfortunately, I’m not sure how practical it will be.  Costs for the equipment and expenses for each lesson may get in the way, but I really liked the idea of the baseball character lesson plan through video conferencing for the Discovery class that I teach which is a virtually about being a good citizen.

We were also given some basic information about baseball and legends of why exactly the tiny little town of Cooperstown was chosen as the location of the Hall of Fame.  The story is that in 1839, Abner Doubleday drew some lines out in the middle of a field nearby and incorporated a bat and ball and suddenly we had the game.  Baseball’s origins also go back to the Civil War as soldiers in army camps would play while waiting in between battles.  Baseball also varies slightly from the English game Rounders.  Ultimately, in 1939, 100 years after Doubleday’s invention the Hall of Fame opened its doors in 1939.  Of course the story could just be a myth.

As I walked from exhibit to exhibit and attempted to take it all in, I found myself in a state of awe.  Shrine after shrine dedicated to the greatest players and events that the game has ever known.  The old baseball cards on display gave me a sense of nostalgia and I even saw some that I have at my house.  At some point when we return to Colorado I will have to dust off the old collection.  I also found the World Series rings display very cool and decided that the most recent Philadelphia Phillies ring was probably the most impressive.  I found myself admiring all of the balls from “no hitters” that different pitchers have had throughout their respective careers.  Amazingly Nolan Ryan accomplished the feat seven times for the Angels, Astros, and Rangers.  Wow!  The Rockies stuff was cool too particularly the stuff from the organization’s first “no hitter” by Ubaldo Jimenez and the jersey in the team’s locker for Troy Tulowitzki’s unassisted triple play.  This was all capped off by a walk down the gallery with Cody as we admired the plaques of the greatest men to ever play the game.  It was as if the walls were talking to me as each player told their own story.

Standing with all of the "no hitter" balls.

Hank Aaron's plaque at the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Later events in the day included a trip to the James Fenimore Cooper Art Museum where I picked up a great PBS DVD set on Native Americans, which will become a crucial piece of my curriculum as I teach about the colonial era, Tecumseh, Trail of Tears, and much more.  I also found a tiny book about which includes traditional Native American stories and games that look fun and will hopefully motivate and encourage student interest in the topic.

Next on the agenda, we went to the Farmer’s Museum.  This is the kind of place I would love to take students on a field trip to if It were available back home in Colorado.  We watched the blacksmith make nails, saw the printer use his press to create a flyer or newspaper article, learned about the basics of colonial pharmaceuticals, including the use of leaches, and watched a lady run the spinning wheel.  I can tell students about these things until I am blue in the face, but showing them the pictures that I have taken, and now watched it myself first hand, should help me to get them a better understanding of the colonial to mid 19th century era.

The blacksmith at the Farmer's Museum in Cooperstown.

The printer demonstrating how to use his press.

 

Colonist working on the spinning wheel.

 Finally, the dinner was excellent at the Hawkeye Bar and Grill of the Otsega Hotel. We had a beautiful view of Lake Otsega, but unfortunately were not allowed to sit and eat our food outside on the patio.   I had the special, the flatiron steak with salad and cheesecake for dessert included.

Advertisement