Help!!!

I'm 97 notecards, 145 photos, and about 30 sources into my project. I know I need to start bringing it all together. So now that I have all this stuff, WHAT NEXT?!?!?!?!  I think this is where part of the definition of Expedition comes in:

1. an excursion, journey, or voyage made for some specific purpose, as of war or exploration.

This is a battle I'm primed to win!

My New Friends

I just spent the weekend hanging out with Carol, Louise, Doris, and Geraldine-all Minnesota Press Women from the 1940's.  They published The Gopher Tidings, a monthly newsletter providing support to the members of the Press Women, and all their articles brought the people of the organization to life for me. They were smart, driven, funny women who made life better for their communities.  Their words have the power to bring back the dramatic events of World War II and the everyday lives of people as they pursue their ambitions, enjoy family and friends, and confront the challenges of career and home.   I love this phase of my project-getting to know people from the past and seeing the world through their eyes.

Getting Dizzy

I've worked hard taking notes all week and my head is buzzing with stories.  There's Nellie Bly and her race around the world.  And Jane Grey Swisshelm, who antagonized powerful politicians by slamming them in her editorials.  After a lot of name-calling on both sides, the politicians broke into her news office, stole her printing press, and DUMPED IT IN THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. And there are the women who faked mental illness to go under cover in insane asylums to get the inside scoop on the medical treatments and living conditions.  Weren't they worried about getting out again?!  I love all the colorful characters and dramatic events of the past, but I'm worried that I will never make sense of all the information I've gathered. 

Source 19

Dear Source 19,

Thank you for being EXACTLY what I needed for my research!  You answered all my remaining questions and validated my conclusions.  You even tied everything into this year's theme for me by showing how the leadership of the Minnesota Press Women left a legacy for women in journalism and for the community at large.  Even though you made me take notes for the past 2 hours and I am now WEAK and EXHAUSTED, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.  Perhaps you'd also put my project together?

J. Amen
The Humble and Grateful

Meet Sherlock

It is a humid night and I'm sweating it out on my porch taking notes.  For those of you who have not yet solved "History Mystery #2," my new mascot is a big hint. I am proud to report that I now have 38 note cards, most of my background information is complete, and every card has a page citation!

A Confession

I have led students in History Day projects for three years.  Every year as students take notes, I tell them to PUT THE PAGE NUMBERS of quotes and facts on their notecards so they can cite them in their projects.  Every year a bunch of kids forget, then have to dig back into their sources for the citations. They weep and wail and I bang my head against the wall.  So here I've happily been taking notes all week, only to look back and realize I HAVE FORGOTTEN TO CITE THE PAGE NUMBERS.  I guess it's harder than it looks.

Digging In

I'm sitting on my porch armed with my dog for company and chocolate covered pretzels for morale and ready to begin my research in earnest.  I found exactly what I needed in the Minnesota History Center Museum archives to tell the heart of my story (more on this later); now I need to step back and impose order on the mass of background information in front of me.  The first step?  Weeding out the library books that are interesting vs relevant.  This is hard to do because there are so many cool stories here!  Case in point:  a book written in 1942 called So Your Husband's Gone to War!  It has chapters with intriguing titles like "Hire for Wages" (a new concept?!), "Where's Daddy, Mummy?" (heartbreaking), and "Don't Let Yourself Go!" (a warning against having too many wild parties? a caution against too many chocolate covered pretzels?!).  I could spend all afternoon here, but I really do need to stick to my research questions and focus on how the war changed things for women in journalism.  Anyway, on to the task at hand!

Narrowing It Down

I decided to study "Women on the Home Front in World War II."  I was really excited about all the possibilities, all the stories that just had to be out there.  And then I got started.  This is what my week looked like:

Fortunately, the week ended on a high note.  I can only hope that continues...