Testimonials

Learn what teachers are saying about our school visits!

April 29, 2009

Hello Ben,

First of all, let me just say that as a huge fan of the era of the American Revolution in history, and a fairly knowledgeable teacher in the area, I was indeed impressed with the quality and scope of your presentation today for our grade 5 students. Your use of materials, visuals and tangible objects that you provided addressed every single style of learner that the Stoklosa Middle School educates. Your extremely generous gifts of free downloadable versions of your book, the new pennies, and the access password for your online information were such a surprising treat for our kids; they were still buzzing about them at dismissal!

Many times my colleagues and I have booked field trips, guest speakers, and the like. Sometimes we are gravely disappointed, especially when our monies are so limited for these special events. I can speak for the entire team when I say that this was not such a case. Our kids received a highly educational, entertaining morning that gave them such a great connection to the material that we have been teaching for months. You provided the "cherry" to our "sundae" :)

If I or any of my colleagues have any future needs in touring Boston or an opportunity for another visit, I will not hesitate to call/recommend you. Bravo, Ben Edwards! You were a pleasure.

Thank you for making our Literacy Week so successful and memorable!

Karen Murphy, Colleen Driscoll, Julie Charette, Rosalie Pulverenti, Eileen Minior, Donna Wholey-Thivierge, Kristen Eschmann and Nancy Kanellas --- The Grade 5 Team

January 11, 2006

Like most of you, I tend to ignore 95% of the marketing materials that I receive as a fifth grade teacher. Ben Edwards' brochure offering tours of Revolutionary War Boston happened to reach me during a weak moment over the summer, and upon reading it I was immediately struck by the opportunity his services might create: If taking my students to visit historic Boston was not in my budget, perhaps I could get historic Boston to visit my students! After a couple of quick phone calls and emails, that's just what happened.

In fact, Ben Edwards visited all four of the fifth grade classes in my school one day this past November, spending an hour with each of them. The cost to the grade was less than the cost of just one round trip bus charter. Moreover, Ben really did bring historic Boston with him, particularly the drama of living in Boston in the days leading up to the Battles of Lexington and Concord. As the author of One April in Boston, a work of historical fiction involving one of Ben's own ancestors and the real story of Paul Revere's famous ride, Ben not only knows the facts cold, but he also has assembled an impressive array of artifacts to help illustrate the history. And as a seasoned tour guide, Ben is able to engage his audience with great skill -- asking questions, telling stories, and showing his materials to great effect.

Ben is extremely generous to the classes he visits. He not only brings with him copies of his book and folders full of maps and pictures, but he also provides free class-wide access to the MP3 audio version of his book via a website, and leaves an audio CD version and hard copy with the teacher. I would suggest requesting the audio CD version ahead of time and using it as a read-aloud. Ben will be happy to oblige.

In short, I would wholeheartedly recommend Ben Edwards to any classroom teacher interested in bringing Boston's Revolutionary War history alive for his or her students.

Seth Evans, 5th Grade Teacher
Mitchell School, Needham MA