Robert W. Easton
My name is Robert W. Easton. I teach third grade at Bancroft School, in
Worcester, Massachusetts, USA. It has taken two planes and 400 kilometers in a
rental car to get to L'Anse aux Meadows, and sitting on a rock in the freezing
wind, I puzzle about why I picked this destination.
One of the themes third graders study is Exploration. We discuss Marco Polo
and his trip to China, Christopher Columbus and his voyages to the New World,
and the Vikings. (I wonder how much Columbus knew about the Viking
explorations?) Our approach to teaching about Exploration is to begin with the
world as it was known by different peoples. Then, as explorers brought back
information about unknown lands and peoples, we show how the view of the world
changed. We examine the cultures of both the explorer and the
"explored." We study the effect of each on the other, so that when our
third graders have an opportunity to assume the role of explorer, in addition to
excitement and adventure, they will bring sensitivity and thoughtfulness to the
process.