Children

---

I was appalled at how some teachers presented American history to my children. With a curriculum designed to instill guilt and shame, I wondered, how will my kids ever discover the lessons of history that inspire greatness and noble aspirations? Will they ever believe that they can make a difference? Will they have any heroes left at all? Then, I wondered: What would the heroes of America's past say to the children of today?

Do you recall how you felt when Apollo 11 landed on the moon? Do you remember a powerful sense of anticipation and pride when President Ronald Reagan stood at the Brandenburg Gate and demanded, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"

These events are more than just history to you - they are part of your life experience. In these cases, facts and emotions combine, providing you with a multi-sensory lesson. A lesson of history that will always be part of you, something you can call upon when needed.

You're about to take on a major challenge and Neil Armstrong's words fill your head and boost your confidence: "That's one small step for man: one giant leap for mankind." You're addressing your elected representatives at a town hall meeting, demanding redress for an injustice or their support for a new law. People told you that you "can't fight city hall," but you know that you can: Your inner voice cries out, "Councilman Smith, tear down this wall!"

Look at your children, look at the chaotic time in which they live, consider the challenges they will likely face, and ask yourself: What are the lessons of history that will prepare them for their future? How do we teach those lessons? It's our duty to recognize the lessons of history and point them out to our kids.

I was appalled at how some teachers presented American history to my children. My son and daughter learned that Thomas Jefferson had slaves - before they learned that he wrote the document articulating our rights and duties as free people. European settlers killed Native Americans with blankets infected with smallpox, they found out. That allegation upstaged the stories of courage, perseverance, and curiosity that defined the pioneers. While folding paper cranes in the classroom, my children were told that a hundred thousand people died when the atomic bomb was dropped on Japan - but they were not made to understand the moral context of World War II in which the atomic bomb story fit. My children were instructed to equate illegal aliens with legal immigrants, devaluing the story of their own ancestors who came to America through Ellis Island. And, classroom discussions always seemed to cast businessmen as villains, instead of as people to be emulated.

With a curriculum designed to instill guilt and shame, I wondered, how will my kids ever discover the lessons of history that inspire greatness and noble aspirations? Will they ever believe that they can make a difference? Will they have any heroes left at all?

Then, I wondered: What would the heroes of America's past say to the children of today?

To answer that question, I wrote, photographed, and published Anthony and the Magic Picture Frame - and American history book that teaches the lessons of history. In the book, Anthony, my real-life son, time-travels into the great events of the 20th century. Advanced digital photography places Anthony in the cockpit of the Spirit of St. Louis with Charles Lindbergh, on the moon with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, in the laboratories of Thomas Edison and Jonas Salk, and on Normandy beach on D-Day. Anthony meets and talks with Thomas Edison, Jonas Salk, FDR, Lou Gehrig, Charles Lindbergh, Audie Murphy, and many others. But historical accuracy rules every page of Anthony's adventure in time: Anthony's conversations with America's heroes are based on things they really said.

But it wasn't enough to have just Anthony experience the past. I wanted all of my readers to experience it, too - young readers so they would discover and learn, and adults so they would remember the truth. So, I included a list of hundreds of books, movies, music, and places to visit. The list is a built-in "time machine" that readers can use to see, hear, and experience the things that Anthony did in the past. The list provides that multi-sensory experience that fosters learning.

While writing and photographing the book, I spoke with relatives of famous scientists and inventors, Holocaust survivors, award-winning biographers, and others who could help me ensure that the facts of the book were both accurate and vivid. I was going beyond history: I was going to present the lessons of history, and those lessons had to rest on a firm foundation of fact.

The chapter about Lindbergh's flight is really about choosing one's destiny. The story of Lou Gehrig is one of a virtuous life. The chapter about Thomas Edison is really about business. The story of Apollo 11 is about wonder, taking risks, and courage. The story of Dr. Jonas Salk and the cure for polio is really about dedicating one's life to a higher purpose. When Anthony "meets" his immigrant great-grandfather at Ellis Island in 1907, it's really a story about what it means to be an American. Anthony's observation of D-Day and the liberation of the death camps during the Holocaust is a testament to the reality of evil and the need to fight it.

It's not an easy book. The book challenges the reader to see the modern world in the light of the lessons of the past. Anthony compares the people and events of the past with the people and events of his own time. Anthony discusses the nature of good and evil, right and wrong, war and peace, what it means to be an American, honor and discipline, success and achievement, courage and destiny, marriage and family, God and purpose.

My purpose was to let the heroes of the past speak directly to America's next generation through Anthony. Along with Anthony, I learned that the heroes of the past really do have something important to tell us: "The purpose of life is to live a life of purpose. One person really can make a difference. Doing the right thing always matters."

I began to wonder how I, and my children, could model portions of our lives after these heroes. What enabled them to put these sentiments into action? What did they have in common that led to their ability to change history? What made them great?

Here, in the words of just five of those 20th century heroes, are the main insights that occurred to me. I've phrased them in the form of resolutions - five life lessons I try to follow:

1. Resolve to explore, and to find out what life has to offer. Michael Collins, Apollo 11 astronaut, said: "To go places and to do things that have never been done before - that's what life is all about."

2. Resolve to follow your plan, one step at a time. Charles Lindbergh, pilot of the Spirit of St. Louis: "The important thing is to start; to lay a plan, and then follow it step by step no matter how small or large each one by itself may seem."

3. Resolve to see opportunity and take advantage of it. Thomas Edison, inventor and businessman: "Opportunity is missed by most people, because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."

4. Resolve to work hard and create your own good luck. Lou Gehrig, baseball player: "My success came from one word - hustle."

5. Resolve to live, and give, with passion. Dr. Jonas Salk, discoverer of the polio vaccine: "Do what makes your heart leap. That's what I have done. I wanted to be a scientist and a healer, so I used science for healing. It was good advice and I give it to you."

Please join me! Take some time now to reflect on the past, and to remember our history and our heroes. Bring forth in your mind the lessons of our history - and share them with your children. Help America's next generation to hear the voices of the great men and women of the past calling them to greatness.

I hope that you will read the book, remember the truth, and share it with your children.

We can't afford to raise a generation of Americans who do not value their country, their heritage, and their place in the world. As Abraham Lincoln said: America is the "last best hope of earth."

Thank you.

Michael S. Class

E-mail: [email protected]

Blog: www.MagicPictureFrame.blogspot.com

###

Anthony and the Magic Picture Frame was named Outstanding Book of the Year and Most Original Concept of 2006 by Independent Publisher; Reviewers Choice by Midwest Book Review; and Editor's Pick by Homefires: The Journal of Homeschooling Online. Nationally syndicated talk-show host Michael Medved calls the book "entertaining and educational."

Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin says "parents and teachers will appreciate the inspiring message this unique history book holds for America's next generation. I recommend this book to all young Americans, may they take us to the stars and beyond."

Anthony and the Magic Picture Frame (hardcover, 225 pages, $25.00) is available at www.MagicPictureFrame.com, by calling toll-free 1-800-247-6553, at select bookstores, and on www.amazon.com.

---

PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE