My Weekend...Sail On, Titanic!

Let the insomnia continue...7 days and counting!

It is 1:05 AM, and I am just now deciding to make a posting on here. What am I thinking? Well, I am awake, so why not.

There has been so much going on lately, that I don't know what to post about or even where to begin. Knowing me, I will certainly try. So here we go...

Let the Countdown Begin


The countdown is on until the end of the school year! For the record, we have 24 1/2 school days to go. No, I have not begun to count down by hours yet. Being a former math teacher, I certainly might start it up pretty soon. Below is a picture of a bulletin board at the end of my hallway in the school. This board is changed out every so often. Luckily, it was not my turn to put up a board. That task fell to one of our "specials" teachers on our hallway. I thought I had a wicked sense of humor at times, but I have been outdone. Love it, but I wonder if the students get the pun? Probably not...they are only 6th and 7th graders.

I have not given much thought to how I will feel in the last days of school. Usually, I am so swamped with work (grades, moving my classroom, etc) that I barely have time to let any emotions flow. This group has been one of, if not the most challenging of my career. However, we have also had some of the best students in my career. I know I will miss these students. They have been my life for the past academic year. No matter how rotten some of them have been (boy could I tell you some stories) I still love each of them.

Will I be an emotional wreck at the end of May? Who knows for sure. Only time will tell.


Titanic : The Museum Experience

This weekend I decided I wanted to do something completely different from what I am used to doing. I decided to go to a museum, but not just any museum...The Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge, TN. So, I get into the car and drive into Pigeon Forge. Just before you get into downtown Pigeon Forge you see the museum on the right. Believe me...you cannot miss it. They built part of the building to look like the front end of the Titanic. They even have it hitting a giant iceberg. I arrived at the museum around 5 PM only to learn that there were no tickets available until the 9 PM time slot. That's right, tickets reserve you a spot in line. Tours begin at the beginning of each hour. I ended up getting tickets for the 8PM show. (Perks of going along...I got in earlier.) So I went to Gatlinburg and played around for a few hours.

Got back to the museum around 7:30 and the line was already winding through the gates. Upon entering the line I was handed a "boarding pass." Each pass has the name and biography of an actual passenger about the Titanic. As you progress through the museum, you are supposed to look out for artifacts and literature that might (or might not) mention your person. I ended up with a 30-year old farmer from Finland. I was a 3rd class passenger trying to make a new life for myself in the mid-west of America. All I wanted to know was "did I survive the Titanic?"

As I made my way through the museum, I stopped to read everything there. The museum is pretty interactive. There are little quiz questions you can answer throughout the museum. There are close to 400 actual artifacts from the Titanic or events before and after the Titanic disaster. Many of the artifacts were linked to passengers and crew members, so their bios were displayed. It was fantastic learning about the people aboard the ship.

My favorite people to read about? John Jacob Astor (the richest man on the ship) and his pregnant 18-year old wife, Madelyn. They were quite the scandal on the ship. Astor's youngest child was one year older than Madelyn. Yes, that was a scandal, but there was so much more. She became pregnant before they were married...whew! Finally, I learned that what caused the most scandal was Madelyn flaunting the fact she was pregnant. Proper ladies were expected to conceal the pregnancy as long as possible. Madelyn did not hide it. 

Along the way, you start wondering through a replica of the interior of the ship's decks. Very interesting to know how tight the hallways were on the lower decks. The 3rd class accommodations were above all other ships in the world. There were 4 beds per room, and each room had running water...that was a luxury! We also learned that there were only two tubs for third class passengers, one for men and one for women. What made my stomach turn was the fact that they changed the water only after the 10th person bathed...YUCK. Second class wasn't bad at all. Comparable to most cruise ships today.

We made our way to a replica of the Grand Staircase of Titanic. I was in awe at its beauty. I was surprised that the floors were covered in linoleum. Evidently, it was more valuable than marble and granite at the time. Our hostess said that when passengers came into the staircase, the most attention was paid to the flooring instead of the solid wood staircase, the enormous skylight, or the crystal lighting. Once out of the staircase, we made our way to a replica of Ida and Isador Strauss' stateroom (ultimate in first class). I have never been in a place so extravagant or opulent.

I would tell more, but I have rambled on for far too long. I would like to say that the last room you are in is the "Memorial Room." In it, etched in glass, are the names of every single person (crew and passenger) aboard the ship. They were divided up by class, then by whether they survived or perished. Consequently, my person (the Finnish farmer) survived. I was surprised. Also, there hung the only life jacket that could be linked to its wearer on the ship. This life jacket belonged to Madelyn Astor...yes, John Jacob Astor's 18 year old pregnant wife.

If you ever get the chance to visit Pigeon Forge, be sure to see this museum. You most certainly will not be sorry you visited. Oh, and give yourself plenty of time. I was in there for over 2 hours. All well worth it.


More to Come in the Next Post

Yes, I have more to say, but I want to devote a separate posting to it. So, more to follow.