Pilgrim Biscuits

Pilgrim biscuits. 

Back when I was a second grade teacher one of my favorite things to do was to have the kids imagine what it was like to be a Pilgrim child crossing the Atlantic on the Mayflower. I would share m them the daily struggles of the Pilgrims and have them record their voyage in a journal. One of the interesting facts was that as the journey progressed food choices were limited and the Pilgrim children had to eat hard biscuits. 

Now as a teacher you wonder if your students are really paying attention or is your lesson going in one ear and out the other? As was the practice of my school district the cafeteria served a Thanksgiving feast each year. As luck would have it I was on cafeteria duty that day, and found myself approaching one of my students as she flagged me down with a waving arm. I was expecting a standard cafeteria request; something like a milk carton needing to be opened or permission to go to the restroom. I must say that what happened next caught me totally off guard. My student was quite ecstatic that the cafeteria had decided to serve Pilgrim biscuits that day. You know hard as a rock!

I think what I loved most about her observation was that she had been paying attention, and had made that coveted connection between the classroom and the real world. Happy Thanksgiving and may your biscuits be warm, soft and buttery!