Appleseeds in school?

[PHenry]

To all Florida Appleseeders:
I have been following a post related to bringing the history portion of Appleseeds into schools as this has always been a dream of mine.

At the end of the post (see link below) is a flier that I think I could modify slightly to fit our needs. If I do - who's up for doing a mailing to a long list of schools that are in prox to our Florida red hats, so that they could do their best to fire the kids up with their heritage? You would first have to locate the physical addys and points of contact and then mail out the fliers (unless anyone has a better way / idear).

We currently have RIs in the following areas that are qual'd to do this if they can make the time: Pinellas County, south Pasco County and Orlando area.

http://appleseedinfo.org/smf/index.php?topic=10975.0

If you think u are up for this - lemme know. I would be willing to take time away from work to make it happen and I think others would as well. When you think on it - it's all about the kids. If they do not grow respecting the ideals of the Founders - they are doomed to lose their Liberty.

Any ideas are welcome. Any help is even more welcomer. 

PH

[Another D.O.M.]

If I do - who's up for doing a mailing to a long list of schools that are in prox to our Florida red hats, so that they could do their best to fire the kids up with their heritage? You would first have to locate the physical addys and points of contact and then mail out the fliers (unless anyone has a better way / idear).

Do you know what kind of numbers you're talking about (number of schools per county)?  I'd be willing to pitch in on this one.  Need a break from planning shoots in the cold up here in the great white north.  Just let me know...
MJA

[PHenry]

ADOM,
No idear really. Pinellas County has very high density for sure. West Pasco also pretty HD. Willorith would be my hope for Orlando area and then RickB and myself for Pinellas / Pasco. I forgot - we have ItsanSKS for Hillsborough if he has time away from SCing. I have not asked any of these RIs if they would be available for this activity, nor am I volunteering them - just hoping they would serve if the opp presented itself. We could alwsys test the waters carefully at first to see how many bites we got. 

I would think the material would best lend itself to the older kids - say, 11 years and up? That would nearly cut out elementary schools. Might be best to look into middle and high schools - both public and private. I am guessing it would be a hard sell for public schools and also require background checks, etc. I refused to do that for my business, but I would for Appleseeds. There are also home school associations out there and they would likely be thrilled with the idear. I am just spit balling at this point and looking for ideas.
Many thanks,
PH

[willorith]

Mister Henry:

You know that you need only mention it and Willorith is your willing servant in the cause. The only thing I don't like is disarming my self to go on school property. It seems as if we're caving in to the morons. However, through education we can help apply steering force on the attitude of our next generation of leaders. The militia's volley at the North Bridge is indeed a stirring moment. Commanded to fire on the Regulars, the militia do so with devastating accuracy. A moment in our history to stir the hearts our young. Freedom through firelocks. Count me in Good Sir.

We must undertake this in an organized regular fashion, providing consistency of content and delivery. Even to the extent that we develop a series of development stages similar to the IIT progression so that the professionalism we are justifiably proud of in our shooting events is carried throughout the school outreach program. Perhaps a redhat instructor can achieve additional accreditation as an Ambassador of Freedom, or Educational Outreach Specialist, or High Son of Liberty, Or, I like, Brother of Samuel Prescott, continuing on, carrying the message to all corners. We will be very large and tempting targets in the school system. We must present an absolutely spotless face. I am certain that there are teachers already in our instructor corps that can help in the process. How to make contact with the school. How to make our message, the obligation modern Americans have to honor the sacrifices of our forefathers,   clear and instill the sense of duty in the hearts of the students. Our three strikes and DOM is a moving set of stories distilled down to an hour and a half of gripping monologue. The elements exist already to make this a very good thing.

[willorith]

Perhaps through the home school associations a group presentation could be arranged with an instructor or two giving presentations at a park or library.

[caseyblane]

I'm a member of the Florida Parent-Educator's Association and a local homeschool co-op group of 30+ families. I've received warm reception to Appleseed within our co-op but to date have not turned any one out at an event. Prior to the October Saint Aug shoot, I contacted all of the homeschool groups in our region with a flyer geared towards them. Don't know if it did any good or not. I like this idea and Willorith's idea of a park or library. The homeschool moms are much more likely to bring their kids to a story only event, which then might result in dad and kids showing up at a shoot in the future.

I'll look into the state association and see what opportunities there are for promoting such an event.

[PHenry]

Sir Willorith,
You already work every event, save double bookings, as it is! I am hoping that someone can pick up the "Educational Liaison" position and just leave us the actual teaching. I hate paperwork, but love to hear my own voice as we all know.    Parks would be great - weather permitting. Libraries might be annoyed at noise level??

I am in full agreement on the content and quality required. I like to see each instructor add his / her own flair and areas of personal interest, but accuracy and staying strictly on point would be mission essential. Any red hat should be up to the task, or frankly, they should not be a red hat, as telling the story is pre-req to that level of instructor. In fact, I think that a corp of history tellers could be created. People who cannot work the line, but can still turn a phrase - opens up a whole new area for service to Liberty and such opps don't come along every day.

I think that this thing, if done with our usual focus, verve and panache, would be a great way for us to achieve our stated goal of maintaining the tradition. We would be exposing the children of Liberty to their unique and extraordinary heritage, the ideals of the Founding gen, and at the same time, making them aware of how important marksmanship and self-reliance were to winning their Liberty 235 years ago. This would serve to make them better Americans, according to the stated wishes of men like John Adams and George Washington. It might even induce them to ask their parents to bring them to an event, where we could expose them to one their ancestors fine traditions - marksmanship!

From the day that I could tell the story, I have felt as though I had a fine tool in my tool box that wasn't being used to its fullest extent and that is wasteful - a trait that our frugal ancestors thought very poorly of.

caseyblane,
One of my techs put his son thru home schooling and it worked out very well for the boy. He has described to me a little of how the system works here in Florida. I stand at your service, if I can assist you in any way. Perhaps if they heard the story and saw us in person, they would be more likely to attend an event. I know from personal experience that saving a country is a hard sell - even to thems that know it needs saving! 

Please keep us apprised of your progress. I have my essay from my time at Ft. Stewart - that may help some see the nature of the program in a way that they can better relate to. The promo for this enterprise would need to be different than what we use for events. We would need to keep it strictly about history and heritage, as that is all we would be offering them.

We humans must stand at the brink before we will act to save ourselves - it is our nature. We must drag them to the water, gently press their heads under and then tickle their  ribs a bit to get them to drink from the fountain of Liberty. The good news is that once it takes - there is no dowsing the flame! 

Thanks,
PH

[ThaiFighter]

PHenry,

Given the fact that we are a civilian marksmanship program, you will likely encounter some stiff resistance to direct access to public schools given their ridiculous tendency toward "zero tolerance".  Also, by design, public schools are not in the business of turning out free thinkers who believe strongly in individual liberties.  They are a large part of the problems we face.  Trying to change that is going to be a massive effort with ALL of the entrenched powers doing everything they can to put up roadblocks.

I would suggest you could have a stronger impact with less resources expended if you approached organizations like the Boys Scouts/Cub Scouts of America and offered to sponsor whole troops on shoots replete with the history lessons we bring.   The youth in these programs are already service oriented and are interested in the activities the lessons of the Founders entail.   Many of them will have already made progress toward NRA badges etc, but their marksmanship lessons do not explain to them WHY what they are learning is important.   Appleseed can provide that crucial missing element.  The youth brought to the line can carry the message into the schools when history is taught.   This would also invite parents to get involved with us who might not otherwise.

Nothing interests a good teacher more than a student who isn't just ignoring them, sleeping or absorbing the lesson plan by osmosis, but who actually has some outside knowledge born of independent efforts and education.  It also helps that scouts help shape leaders and citizens.  When they are raving about how much fun they are having becoming them, it follows that the "follower" herds will want in on the action.

In suggesting this, I am fully in favor of your goals.  Just suggesting you might have better luck from behind stone walls and hitting the flanks as opposed to facing the phalanx head on. 

[PHenry]

TF,
Roger that sir - well aware of the state of public schools today. It were bad when I was in them (more years ago than I care like to recall), and it is surely worse now.

As to BSA - would you believe it's easily as bad - in some areas at least. They won't even allow us to run events with the scouts unless we are NRA cert'd. I know this as this has been attempted repeatedly and I have read of the problems.

What I am proposing is that we offer something different - no mention of shooting outside of the historical aspect. Sure, the row will be a tough hoe, but isn't that precisely what we do now? This has been an uphill gig for me from the start. Fred used to speak of more shoulders to the wheel to push the cart up the hill. He wasn't kidding about the hill part!

My own dear mother is a flaming liberal, but she is dead proud of my work with Appleseeds and has toldt everyone she knows about what we did at Ft. Stewart. Hearts and minds - one at a time. We didn't get into Ft. Stewart because the brass wanted it - quite the contrary. We got in because of a few good soldiers who knew that their men needed what we could bring. In the end, even the CO was impressed and he looked me straight in the eye, shook my hand firmly and said so. We look for a crack and wedge in the truth until it grows and splits the ignorance right off!

I had teachers that would have wanted it. All we need are a few who see it and they will get us in. Then it's up to us to make it shine and show the principles that our cause is just and our methods unimpeachable. Like I told a woman at a recent Christmas Eve party: "I am merely speaking of respecting the Constitution and the ideals for which it stands. Can we agree on that?" Stopped her in her tracks and made her slightly embarrassed.

I would love to work with the BSA and the GSA, but I fear the resistance will be just as strong. That said - I think we should look for the flaws in any ignorance they might be wearing too! Equal opportunity education!

Thanks for the suggestions,
PH

[ThaiFighter]

I agree with you that it will be a tough road to hoe...

The "crack" you have indicated with the BSA seems to be the NRA certification...

How hard is it to get NRA certified and have we had any interaction with the NRA about getting our instructors "cross-trained"?  The appleseed website tells of how our instructors go above and beyond NRA requirements.  I believe this to be true.  Have we approached the NRA to evaluate our instructor training curriculum to see if it would pass muster by their standards and allow us to certify through appleseed?  We're on the CMP list, how do we get in good with the NRA? Gotta admit the NRA seal of approval would carry a lot of weight and we share similar goals and ideals.

As a member of both organizations, I would hope our shared goals would allow us to eliminate roadblocks that would prevent us from educating the youth of this nation.  They will be leading us in all too short awhile.

Thoughts?
   

[MeanStreaker]

TF, you're right that the marksmanship aspect of Appleseed would not go over very well with most school districts.   That's why DryFire didn't even mention it during his official presentations and only brought it up individually when asked more about Appleseed.

I still can't believe he got permission to bring in a period firearm!

Definitely a tough row to hoe... but we have to go where the souls need saving.

I applaud you guys for trying to get this done.  DryFire brought all the letters to my house the kids wrote.  Very touching stuff in many of them.

[willorith]

Most libraries have meeting rooms that can be used.
During the week the library is a pretty empty place.

[PHenry]

TF,
Yes, we have addressed the NRA issue in the past and without starting an off-point rant, suffice to say that as long as you pay - the NRA will cert you in several areas - RSO, rifle marksmanship, etc. It's just money and a few hours.

On a brighter note, I succeeded this AM in getting a tentative agreement from a fellow that works with a BSA troop in Tampa, FL. He nad I have had discussions before and this AM I told him of our desire to bring the heritage to kids. I will call him this week to set up two 30 minute presentations. I intend to arrive with another instructor to offer strikes one and two on the first visit and three with DOM on the second.

I will work up a special presentation and see how it goes, modifying as needed for future presents. I will of course end it with an invite to events. Hearts and minds - hearts and minds. Just as our Forefathers did before us.

PH

[ThaiFighter]

Willorith:

Sad ain't it... 

PH:

nice!   

If there's anything I can do to assist, just point to the wagon and I'll put my shoulder in.   I am half-decent with powerpoint, have a good quality Sony Cam and can write a touch.  I'm in btwn contracts right now, so I have some hours to spare.

Otherwise, break a leg!

[caseyblane]

FPEA (Florida Parent Educators Association) has a convention in May in Orlando. The convention features speakers on homeschool related topics and vendors who sell homeschool curriculums, and feature different educational methods. I've never been before but apparently its a large event. A presence at the convention or an ad in the FPEA's magazine might be effective ways to reach co-operatives of families that would be interested in an event like you are talking about.

I had thought I could just take it slow on the marksmanship and help Appleseed through hitting the streets with promotions, but I can see now that I need to nail down that Rifleman patch and work towards becoming an instructor so that I could do things like this. Are there any instructors in NE Florida? I could work on promoting such a program here in the greater Jacksonville/St. Augustine area if there was somebody willing to make it happen.

[PHenry]

caseyblane,
Yes, become an instructor as well - cross pollination makes the fabric stronger. It also makes you more effective as a promoter. I have always detested speaking to salesperson who knows nothing about their wares.

ItsanSKS and I began the same way - we started by promoting and moved into more as we were able to. You are clearly a man of great ability - any man who shows up on a hot day with an unsolicited five gallon bucket of the world's best home-made lemonade at the peak of the heat of the day ranks highly in my book.

I like the idea of getting the word out to the entire network of home schoolers. What would it take for us to get into that convention?

PH

[willorith]

Caseyblane-

From our central location in Orlando we traveled probably  2,000-3,000 miles last year to events from Okeechobee to St Augustine. Dr. John is an IIT in South GA. He is planning to serve at many events in FL this year. You could probably catch a ride with him to any FL events you wish to attend. He will be at Myakka this weekend. You should be also. Get your badge. Put on an Orange Hat. A feeling of peace will descend upon you. You will become a cog in the machinery of Appleseed. Your efforts for our country multiplied many times. Ripples of patriotism moving outward from you throughout NE FL. The Samuel Prescott of Jacksonville carrying the message onward through the night.

[PHenry]

What Willorith said.

I know a lot of people who see the problem and talk about it often. What does that accomplish? Fred once told me, upon my whining about personal effort expended, that "Appleseeds is strictly a results based org.", and that my effort, no matter how great meant absolutely nothing if it did not create demonstrable results.

The truth is a hard thing sometimes. I put a lot of thought and no small amount of soul searching into what he said. Once I smacked my fragile little ego down - the truth of what Fred said became crystal clear. Only hits count. It will require sheer numbers to save our good ship America and I know of no better way than Appleseeding.

One thing I never figured in was what Appleseeding would do for me personally. It has healed a wound in my soul and offered me something that money could never buy - a sense of accomplishment and peace.

Take it from a former "master iceberg counter" - instructing on the line is beyond price. To see the look in their eyes as they shake your hand upon leaving, knowing that they are better Americans for the time spent with you. No way to place a price on that. When I meet my maker - it will be with a lighter heart, knowing that I was afforded the opportunity to do something for Liberty, and I grabbed it with both hands!

PH

PH

[Another D.O.M.]

Caseyblane-

From our central location in Orlando we traveled probably  2,000-3,000 miles last year to events from Okeechobee to St Augustine. Dr. John is an IIT in South GA. He is planning to serve at many events in FL this year. You could probably catch a ride with him to any FL events you wish to attend. He will be at Myakka this weekend. You should be also. Get your badge. Put on an Orange Hat. A feeling of peace will descend upon you. You will become a cog in the machinery of Appleseed. Your efforts for our country multiplied many times. Ripples of patriotism moving outward from you throughout NE FL. The Samuel Prescott of Jacksonville carrying the message onward through the night.

     Yessir!  In my experience it works that way in New York as well...

[caseyblane]

http://www.fpea.com/Convention/index.htm
Information about the homeschool convention. A vendor table is $410! No indication on the application if there is any break for non-profits.