Student Reflections
"My students began to have an understanding of how difficult it would have been for people to figure out how to get along together and to respect each other’s rights. Through the study, and the experience of actually going to the carriage center and talking with 'experts,' they were able to do what writers do. They compiled their research and were able to put themselves in the situations they were imagining could have happened. They were able to look at both sides of the issues through the eyes of their characters and struggle with finding solutions that consider both sides of the issue. They were able finally to 'get' why things that seem trivial to us now were so significant then."
- Kathy Oviatt-Petrunik
The spitting of tobacco problem really was a big thing back then. It was pretty much just the same as a horse dropping his you-know-what and who's going to clean that up?
We have learned about back when people first lived in Magrath. Sometimes I wish that I could have lived then but other times I'm glad that I live now with all of the good stuff we have that they didn't. We also learned about all of the laws that they made then to make the town better. Some of those laws have changed like the Pothole Creek Bridge law where you had to drive or ride across it at the speed of walking.
On the trip to the Remington Carriage Museum I learned what it was like back in the day of carriages. I learned how dirty the streets were from all the horse poop on the road. I am glad we don’t have that problem today.
Going to the Remington Carriage Museum was great, instead of just listening and reading about back then we could actually see and feel a taste of back then, the past. We learned lots from going there.
We learned so much about Magrath's past and how hard it is to be a mayor. We learned how great our life is now compared to back then. Some bylaws have changed and some have not.
From Mr. Nyles Fletcher, I learned that people lived in sod houses at the start of Magrath before they got log houses. I also learned about the dress then. Once there was a "Kirby's Cafe" in Magrath. We used "Kirby's Cafe" for our radio play.
I have learned a lot about the way of life back then and that making a radio play is hard.
From Mrs. Elizabeth Olson, I learned that a lot about sound effects and why they are important in a radio play, You need to have good expressions for the people in your play and you have to practice it to make sure it sounds like the time period you are portraying. Working with Mrs. Olsen helped us because she is an expert and we wanted our radio plays to reflect the times.
I am different because of this bylaw project because: I learned that it was not nearly as easy back then as it is now, and I treat older people kinder because of that. I appreciate my dog more because dogs back then used to be shot instead of going to a pound. I know more about life back then so I can talk to others about it. I can appreciate my house more because back then people had houses made out of dirt and grass.
I liked recording and hearing about what happened in our past about the bylaws. Making up the story to go with the bylaws helped because we didn't know the real reason why they made the bylaws in the first place. Knowing the stories helped us know the bylaws
We learned that bylaws help the citizens, of their town or city, to be safe, happy, and satisfied. If there were no bylaws... people would be running around complaining, smoking or spitting in public, and getting into trouble, so... it would be a BIG Disaster!
