NORTH PALM BEACH LIFE
  • Home
    • Weather >
      • Hurricane Readiness
  • Cruise/Travel
    • Cruise Reviews and Stories
  • Gigi in the 561
    • Gigi's Wine Shelf
    • Gigi in the 561 Interviews
    • Cora
    • My Father's Tales >
      • My Father's Tales - Photo Album
    • Travel Bistro
  • Blogs
    • Gerry Pronounced Gary
    • Rock and Roll Rewind
    • Susan Goldfein -- Blog >
      • Susan Goldfein
  • Video
  • Explore
    • October Odyssey >
      • Cartagena, Columbia
      • Panama Canal
      • Antigua, Guatemala
      • Cabo San Lucas
      • Birds and Bees Speakeasy in Los Angeles
      • We Love LA
      • Coast Starlight
      • Napa Wine Tour
      • California Zephyr
      • California Zephyr Part Two
      • Chicago
      • Amtrak Capitol Limited
      • Washington DC
    • Pam - Traveling in Style
    • Road Trip! >
      • Road Trip! -- Tucumcari, New Mexico
      • Road Trip! -- The Painted Desert
      • Road Trip! - Sedona, Arizona
      • Road Trip! - Sedona Wineries
      • Road Trip! Tonto Natural Bridge State Park
      • Road Trip! - Mogollon Rim
      • Road Trip! - Verde Canyon Railroad
      • Road Trip! - Jerome, Arizona
      • Road Trip! - California
      • Road Trip! - Palm Springs Celebrity Tour
      • Road Trip! - Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
      • Road Trip! - Festival in Palm Springs
      • Road Trip! - Willcox, Arizona and Apple Annie's Orchard
      • Road Trip! Willcox Wineries
      • Road Trip! Chiricahua National Monument
      • Road Trip! Tombstone, Arizona
      • Tombstone, Part Two
      • Road Trip! - Epilogue
    • Traveling With Joe >
      • Beartooth Highway
      • North Cascades National Park
      • A Visit to the Philippines
      • Grand Canyon National Park
      • Glacier National Park
      • Yellowstone National Park
      • Hiking in Bear Country
      • Crater Lake National Park
      • Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta
      • The Kerrville Folk Festival
      • Building Hope in the Rio Grande Valley
      • Yellowstone Camping Tales
    • Unknown Yellowstone >
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Heart Lake
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Summit Lake
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Shoshone Lake
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Grizzly Lake
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Riddle Lake
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Pelican Cone
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Mt. Washburn
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Specimen Ridge
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Avalanche Peak
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Divide Creek
  • Contact
    • Media Kit
    • Pamela Barker - Author
    • The Story of StarText
  • Search

​​



A Virtual Apple for a Virtuoso Teacher

8/3/2020

 
For more, listen to Pam's Podcast:
PictureJoanne Freeman (Yale Courses)
COVID-19 LOCKDOWN, DAY -- DOES IT MATTER?_ Okay. We have watched everything on Netflix and Amazon; have arthritic fingers from playing online games and exhausted our collection of recipe books. And while our relentless pursuit of the perfect cocktail continues, Pam and I decided maybe it was time to do some self-improvement. How about going to Yale?

It actually all started one evening when -- over cocktails -- we wondered what courses --preferably free  --might be available online. A search on YouTube produced thousands of options. The one that really intrigued us the most was a Yale Course on "The American Revolution" with Professor Joanne B. Freeman.

It was a series of 25 lectures, each about 45 minutes or so, that covered the lead-up to the American Revolution, the Revolutionary War and the aftermath, when a new government was formed. Thanks to "Hamilton," U.S. history is hot, and while we loved the musical, we were both big history buffs long before Lin-Manual Miranda's masterpiece hit the stage.

So we set aside time every day to "attend class" and see what we could learn. Boy, did it ever over-deliver.

First off, we really connected with Prof. Freeman. I don't recall many of my teachers being so energetic and engaging. Plus, it was obvious from the start she had a deep knowledge of her subject matter.

Second, while you may think you know U.S. history from that time period, we learned so much more as Prof. Freeman did a deep dive into the people, events and attitudes that led to 13 colonies declaring their independence from Britain. For example, going to war was always seen as a last resort by the colonists, who only wanted to have the same rights and privileges as any other British subject. 

PictureProf. Freeman and her James Madison doll
(Yale Courses)
​And yes, while the Founding Fathers were awesome, Prof. Freeman made them human as well, giving us insights to the good, the bad and sometimes the ugly for Washington, Jefferson, Hamilton, Madison, Adams and others. She also added some humor to the mix -- at one point, she displayed a gift from one of her students: A James Madison action figure doll, complete with Colonial garb. (Full disclosure: It was formerly a GI Joe -- Madison wasn't that buff.)

As she described the events after the war ended, I was amazed at how the colonies ever came together to form a government. All together, it made the story of America that much more remarkable.

There were points in the lectures where i was dying to raise my hand and ask a question. Like, when the colonists won a battle and captured thousands of British soldiers, what did they do with the prisoners of war since they could hardly feed and clothe themselves? I guess you can only get so much for free, right?

As new members of the Freeman Fan Club, Pam did a little research on our teacher and discovered, not surprisingly, she is one of the leaders in her field. With multiple books, including one on Hamilton that Miranda used as source material, she has many honors and accolades to her credit. 

As the last lecture concluded, we were both sad it was over. We had learned so much, not the least of which is that the revolution that created a government "for the people and by the people" is still ongoing. Given our present-day political climate, you can't hep but wonder what our Founders would think about where their experiment in democracy is now. A lot of food for thought, and isn't that what learning is all about?

So we raise a glass to Yale, for providing these lectures for free, and to Prof. Joanne Freeman, who has given us a new appreciation for what it means to be an American. Salud!

    Picture

    About

    Yes, I know it's spelled like "Jerry." No, I don't know why it's pronounced "Gary."
     My parents
    don't know, either. Next question.

    Archives

    March 2025
    February 2025
    November 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    September 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    October 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    July 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    December 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    August 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Picture
Contact us: [email protected]

© COPYRIGHT  2024  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Picture
  • Home
    • Weather >
      • Hurricane Readiness
  • Cruise/Travel
    • Cruise Reviews and Stories
  • Gigi in the 561
    • Gigi's Wine Shelf
    • Gigi in the 561 Interviews
    • Cora
    • My Father's Tales >
      • My Father's Tales - Photo Album
    • Travel Bistro
  • Blogs
    • Gerry Pronounced Gary
    • Rock and Roll Rewind
    • Susan Goldfein -- Blog >
      • Susan Goldfein
  • Video
  • Explore
    • October Odyssey >
      • Cartagena, Columbia
      • Panama Canal
      • Antigua, Guatemala
      • Cabo San Lucas
      • Birds and Bees Speakeasy in Los Angeles
      • We Love LA
      • Coast Starlight
      • Napa Wine Tour
      • California Zephyr
      • California Zephyr Part Two
      • Chicago
      • Amtrak Capitol Limited
      • Washington DC
    • Pam - Traveling in Style
    • Road Trip! >
      • Road Trip! -- Tucumcari, New Mexico
      • Road Trip! -- The Painted Desert
      • Road Trip! - Sedona, Arizona
      • Road Trip! - Sedona Wineries
      • Road Trip! Tonto Natural Bridge State Park
      • Road Trip! - Mogollon Rim
      • Road Trip! - Verde Canyon Railroad
      • Road Trip! - Jerome, Arizona
      • Road Trip! - California
      • Road Trip! - Palm Springs Celebrity Tour
      • Road Trip! - Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
      • Road Trip! - Festival in Palm Springs
      • Road Trip! - Willcox, Arizona and Apple Annie's Orchard
      • Road Trip! Willcox Wineries
      • Road Trip! Chiricahua National Monument
      • Road Trip! Tombstone, Arizona
      • Tombstone, Part Two
      • Road Trip! - Epilogue
    • Traveling With Joe >
      • Beartooth Highway
      • North Cascades National Park
      • A Visit to the Philippines
      • Grand Canyon National Park
      • Glacier National Park
      • Yellowstone National Park
      • Hiking in Bear Country
      • Crater Lake National Park
      • Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta
      • The Kerrville Folk Festival
      • Building Hope in the Rio Grande Valley
      • Yellowstone Camping Tales
    • Unknown Yellowstone >
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Heart Lake
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Summit Lake
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Shoshone Lake
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Grizzly Lake
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Riddle Lake
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Pelican Cone
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Mt. Washburn
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Specimen Ridge
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Avalanche Peak
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Divide Creek
  • Contact
    • Media Kit
    • Pamela Barker - Author
    • The Story of StarText
  • Search