Tossing corn into a gristmill grinder, touching George H. Derby’s sword, and casting votes from Meetinghouse pews -- these are just some of the memorable experiences that Medfield 3rd graders benefited from over the past 30 years with school-day tours of town historic sites, but based on a recent school decision, the 3rd grade tours of Medfield historic sites will no longer continue.
According to Wheelock Principal Holli Caulfield, “At this time, the historical tours around town do not align with our current Social Studies frameworks…The goal is always to ensure that field trips and experiences are directly tied to the curriculum in ways that enhance student learning in meaningful and developmentally appropriate ways.”
Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education frameworks for 3rd grade history and social science 3rd grade, indicate that students are expected to “study Massachusetts and New England, beginning with their own city and town.”
DESE frameworks further details the purpose of Pre-K to grade 5 standards, which includes building “content knowledge about the geography and history of students’ cities and towns, state, and nation.” DESE also notes that while teachers and schools should make their own decisions about the best ways to inspire students to enjoy history and social science, it notes visits to museums, historic sites, and historical societies among them.
One particular focus of DESE frameworks is helping students understand the legacy of democratic government. Also among the tour sites was Medfield’s historic Meetinghouse/First Parish church. During a time when town and church were one, Medfield townspeople would gather at the Meetinghouse to vote on issues directly affecting their community. During the 3rd grade tours, volunteers would demonstrate democracy in action with a fun voting exercise.
Experiences instill a love of learning:
According to Geoff Sauter, president of Friends of Dwight-Derby House, one of the tour sites, “Discontinuing the 3rd grade Medfield history tours is detrimental not only to education about the rich legacy of the community where our students live, but to their innate curiosity, love of learning, and overall mental well-being. At a time when young learners are spending increasing amounts of time on electronic devices, we cannot understand how discontinuing an enriching and engaging day of tours to Medfield historic sites benefits students.”
“We know the tours have made a life-long impact on Medfield students. A recent legislative earmark of $50,000 to benefit Medfield Historical Society, Kingsbury Pond Grist Mill and Dwight-Derby House was the direct result of a Medfield 3rd grade tour alumnus bringing her passion for town history to the attention of our legislators,” added Dick Judge, chair of the Kingsbury Pond Gristmill Committee. The gristmill is also town-owned, which made it eligible for the earmarked funds for capital improvements.
In addition to Dwight-Derby House, Kingsbury Pond Gristmill and Meetinghouse, 3rd grade student also toured Medfield Historical Society, Medfield Public Library and Town House.
Future of all elementary field trips is uncertain:
Over the years, with school schedules becoming more time-crunched, teachers having more on their plate, and budgets always a challenge, field trips of all kinds have declined over the years.
An April 29, 2024 EdWeek article noted, “Educational researchers have suggested that some schools prioritize putting resources toward activities that may improve student achievement on standardized tests over experiences like field trips, whose results aren’t as quantifiable. That may especially be the case for schools struggling to help students recover from pandemic-era learning declines.”
The publication further notes, “A growing body of research, advocacy from some district-level officials, and anecdotes from students provide compelling reasons for bringing back in-person field trips. The lasting benefits of field trips don’t necessarily register in students’ consciousness at the moment of the visit. But these experiential outings have been proven to increase student interest in, knowledge about, and motivation to study subject matter to which they’re exposed, according to a sweeping, decade-old report by Ohio University researchers on field trips. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds tend to reap the biggest benefits from these experiences.”
Sauter and Judge encourage parents who care about retaining the third-grade tours of Medfield historic sites to write to Wheelock Principal Holli Caulfield, and to also attend Site Council and School Committee meetings to express their views. Caulfield can be reached at hcaulfield@email.medfield.net.
