7 A Bright Bulb

When I was a senior in high school, my social studies teacher gave as the last of three papers for the six-month semester a substitute; we could visit a museum or historic house and bring back a post card. I have used this variant when I teach American or global history of some kind with the addition of art galleries. I find it is a good way to get students to think out side the box.

I allow students now to make their own post cards from the Internet if the museum or art gallery does not have one that covers it or the specific exhibition. In the metropolitan area that I live, there is every possible sort of museum for every interest not to mention art galleries. I also allow students to use post cards from places they have visited before they were in my class. I have students that have the people back home send a post card of Mount Fuji or the Aztec pyramids. I had even one student who gave a postcard of an art exhibition that he had presented as artist. Although several students might visit the same museum, I have not had a case where one person went and gave post cards to his or her friends so that they don’t have to go. Generally, even the most reluctant students admit they have enjoyed the outing. I give students four months to complete the assignment. They have to report back to the class. I remind them every class session as the days come to an end. I have students in the course of a vacation or as part of their job, they managed to visit a museum in Paris or London or some other exotic place.

I had one male student who said he could not visit a museum because he had just become a father. I told him he had three months to visit a museum and he still had a month to go or he would lose five points from his entire average. A month later, he reported he had gone with wife and new baby to visit a museum. He had to admit it was wonderful family outing.

However, I had one bright bulb, which we shall call Tom, who described a visit to the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia. His scam fell apart when he I asked where it was located. He explained it was in a local area. The only problem is that our city is not Philadelphia.