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Posted by Franceska Macsali Urbin
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on April 04, 2011 |
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Franceska Macsali Urbin is a Supervisory Park Ranger at the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Sites.
Cobblestone, a magazine geared to 9 to 14 year olds, just published an issue devoted to Eleanor Roosevelt. “The Importance of Being Eleanor” tells the story of a shy and lonely girl who developed into a courageous and powerful woman facing down many struggles along the way.
Full of photos and written in an engaging style, single copies of the issue are $6.95 from and an annual subscription (nine issues) is $33.95. Teachers’ guides for any issue can be downloaded free from “resources.” (And, don’t forget THV’s lessons and activities on ER; just search “Eleanor” under the lessons tab.
As an interpreter in Hyde Park, I especially liked the section about Val-Kill, Eleanor’s home here, shown in this photo. The discussion of why it was so important to her, and how a furniture factory became a home really rings true.
But “The Importance of Being Eleanor” doesn’t stop there. It touches on all of her formative phases and most important accomplishments. Let me remind you what that means. At a time when women of her class were expected to marry, have children, and just take care of their homes . . .
Eleanor got involved in politics; gave speeches about civil and labor rights; campaigned for social and economic equality; wrote a regular newspaper column plus many books and articles; taught school; transformed the role of first lady from hostess to America’s conscience; hosted a talk show; and established a furniture factory to help people in Hyde Park affected by the Great Depression.
Cobblestone’s special issue also touches on what Eleanor Roosevelt often described as her “most important task” – serving as a delegate to the United Nations and helping to create the Universal Declaration of Human Rights used by many countries as the basis of their constitutions.
Eleanor Roosevelt’s life and legacy spanned three centuries. She was born in 1882, lived her adult life in the 20th, and though she died in 1962, her legacy continues into the 21st. Today her name pops up on the Internet and television, in newspapers and magazines, and even on restaurant place-mats because of her way with words.
She said things that relate to my life and yours too, I bet. She reminds us to be useful, to find ways to live peacefully, and to appreciate and respect other cultures. Here are a few examples:
* Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent.
* We are the sum total of all the choices we make.
* Remember always that you have not only the right to be an individual, you have an obligation to be one. You cannot make any useful contribution in life unless you do this.
In addition to being a Supervisory Park Ranger Fran has been an interpreter for more than 20 years. In this role she shares information with school children -- and the general public -- about the Roosevelts of Hyde Park and how their legacy continues to affect us today.
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