Testimonials

Learn what teachers are saying about our school visits!

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