Superintendent Hairston, County Executive Smith, and WWII Veterans All Visit

Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith and BCPS Superintendent Dr. Joe A. Hairston talk with children on the playground at Timonium Elementary School during American Education Week.

As parents, grandparents, siblings, and friends filled schools across Baltimore County during American Education Week this year, several schools received special guests during the weeklong national celebration of public schools.

At several schools, BCPS Superintendent Dr. Joe A. Hairston toured classrooms, greeted children and parents, and enjoyed events designed to raise support for educators, schools, and students. He was joined at Timonium Elementary School by County Executive Jim Smith, who also pledged his support of the public school system, chatted with parents and teachers, and admired student artwork.

The visits are a traditional part of American Education Week in Baltimore County, which took place this year during the week of November 15-19, 2004. Always celebrated the first full week before Thanksgiving, American Education Week began in 1921 as a way to generate public awareness and support for education at a time when illiteracy was still a major problem in the United States.

In Baltimore County, the week is celebrated with open houses, parent information evenings and events, book fairs, parent seminars and workshops, and special presentations and ceremonies. Mostly, however, it is a time for parents and community members to visit their local schools, observe teachers and children in the classroom, and learn about the instructional program afforded each child in Baltimore County’s public schools.

Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith (left) and BCPS Superintendent Dr. Joe A. Hairston (right) discuss educational issues with a Timonium teacher.

During the visit from Dr. Hairston and Mr. Smith to Timonium Elementary, both leaders spent much of their time on the playground greeting children and talking with teachers. They visited the school’s media center, computer lab, and several classrooms, and observed students at work at music and other disciplines.

Earlier, Dr. Hairston was joined by several other special visitors during a visit to Woodlawn Middle School. A student of history, he dropped in on a gathering of World War II veterans who had come to Woodlawn to talk with students about their experiences. The occasion was an interdisciplinary lesson as students were in the midst of studying World War II for their Gifted and Talented (GT) World Cultures class. They also learned about the value of interviewing primary sources.

Assistant Principal Jay Ward put together the interviews after a recent trip to Europe with his father for the celebration marking the anniversary of D-Day.

Dr. Joe A. Hairston (left) talks with World War II veterans during an American Education Week visit to Woodlawn Middle School.

During Dr. Hairston’s visit, five veterans relayed events of World War II to a group of 8th grade students; historian Joseph Balkosk also sat in on the session to glean information for his historical pursuits. Mr. Balkosk had met with the students a week earlier at the Maryland National Armory as they compiled information for an oral history project.

The objective of the interviews, said social studies department chairman Jonah Berry, “is to walk away not only with a knowledge of World War II and interviewing techniques, but also an ability to look at history firsthand and come up with outcomes, problems and solutions of their own.
“That’s really what learning history from primary sources is all about.”

That was one American Education Week event that students at Woodlawn won’t soon forget.

Story and Photos by Charles Herndon, Communications Director, and Estella Chambers, Library Media Specialist, Woodlawn Middle School