A Sense of History

There's a funny saying in teaching circles, "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to take it over again."

The students of Levittown and Island Trees learned a great deal about history this year. The advent of this community's 50th anniversary has brought with it a flood of projects in the local schools related to the birthday. Not only has it been a great teaching tool for school staff members, but it has also moved students' understanding of their hometown to another level.

You could see it in the dedication that the school children at Summit Lane School, including some of Levittown's youngest, put into the displays for their open house on Friday. This writer was backed up with work in the newsroom that day, but a voice inside me said, "Check it out. It may make your day."

It did -- from the potato patches to the photographs to the staff members' baby and child pictures in the display case outside the auditorium. The students had to guess the teacher or staff members whose pictures were in the case. (My personal favorite was the adorable early shot of Dr. Sally Evans, the school's principal.)

Many people think of Levittown as nothing more than a collection of cookie-cutter homes and strip malls along Route 24. Many Levittowners, children and adults alike, probably have that same image. But we think this year's celebration has done much to change that, at least as far as Levittown's own are concerned.

Now, when outsiders talk about the "sameness" of the houses, Levittown's young people can point to the many local people who've brought character to Levittown. They can also point to the way the community's evolved, the challenges it's faced (many of which they've learned through historical documents and newspapers) and the civic and social activities that have long been hallmarks of the area.

And on a personal note, seeing the student displays in the Levittown and Island Trees schools has confirmed the main reasons I enjoy reporting about education: The chance to understand how young people learn, and to seeing young people get so much enjoyment out of learning.

It sure beats covering a school-board meeting until 1:30 in the morning.

-- Dave Mock