Learning from Lincoln
“Four score and seven years ago …. “ Meadow Pond Elementary School’s second graders stood by their desks, solemnly repeating the beginning of the Gettysburg Address after Abraham Lincoln. He had zoomed into their classrooms from November 19, 1863, the day he would deliver the Gettysburg Address.
Mr. Lincoln shared stories from his childhood through to his presidency with the young students, reminding them to persevere when they, too, face challenges. Then, to practice for the speech he was about to give later that day, he asked the students to stand up and repeat the first portions after him.
The ideas of liberty and equality in the Gettysburg Address were more resonant because of the stories they had just heard that shaped Mr. Lincoln’s view on slavery.
In the Q&A portion, when actor Lou Del Bianco revealed he was an actor portraying Mr. Lincoln, a young student said, “I knew I! I saw your screen name on Zoom.”
