Orphan Train Rider

Orphan Train Rider
Oliver Nordmark - Age 15 - Esbon KS

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

DAY #7 - Wow, A Week Already?!


Today was a marathon day - I started talking at 8 am and finished at 8 pm! Luckily my throat held out. I do think I may have figured out what I am having an allergic reaction to out here in Kansas - Cottonwood Trees. Big fluffy white polen is floating all around and since I don't have allergies at home (nor do I have cottonwood trees) I'm going to blame it on them. Other than that, and my complete disgust with Mapquest, the day was exceptional!
I began the day at Lakewood Middle School speaking to 6th graders followed by 4th graders at Huesner and Meadowlark Elementary Schools and finally, 5th graders at Coronado. From there I went straight to the Salina Public Library for a talk and book signing and finally - after a quick burger at McDonald's - my last talk and book signing at Kansas Wesleyan University where I spoke to education students not only about the orphan trains and my books, but also about independent publishing and integrating my books and this subject into school curriculum.

During my typical school presentation, after talking about both the orphan trains and the baby trains and the differences in how the two trains worked, I always point out that, "interestingly, many of the children who rode the baby trains through the Sisters of Charity at the NY Foundling home were actually adopted by the people who took them in, as opposed to the children who rode the orphan trains through the Children's Aid Society who were more likely not to be adopted." Then I ask students why they think that might be. In all the presentations I've given over the years....hundreds by now....no student has ever come up with the main reason for this difference. Today, at Coronado, a fifth grader named Eli was the first student to ever answer this question! Congratulations Eli, you're a very bright and thoughtful young man!

8 comments:

Yaya' s Home said...

Congratulations, Eli. Now, I'm beginning to wonder if I would answer that question correctly.

Donna, I'm happy to see you came through this marathon in one piece. Will you get to relax a little, tomorrow?

~ Yaya
Yaya's Home

Donna said...

yes, thank goodness! I dont start till 10:30 and only have to talk three times. I have a dinner invite at 6 so I'll probably go in the hotel pool/hot tub and relax a bit in between. Thanks for following the blog posts Joany. Go ahead and take a shot at the answer.....I'll let you know if you get it right!

Anonymous said...

I am so bad at blogging. I commenting on a blog from a few days ago! Give me a call with all of your free time. LOL Grandad would love your adventurous nature.
Love,
Allison

Dianne K. Salerni said...

So-o-o- what's the answer? That people generally adopt babies more readily than big kids?

Or how about, the people coming to look at babies off the train wanted to be parents, while the people coming to look at orphans wanted farm hands.

Those are my two guesses.

Donna said...

Both good answers, and they played in to the final statistics, but not the main reason. Care to try again...or anyone else?? Or should I tell you?

Yaya' s Home said...

Hmmmm. I wasn't expecting you to actually ask me. LOL. Let's see. I think that the reason the babies were usually adopted was because those people adopting them had specifically asked to have them brought to them. Or, at least, the arrangements were made before the babies were delivered. Did I come close? Yes, I would love it if you would tell the reason.

I'm enjoying your school hop very much.

~ Yaya
Yaya's Home

Yaya' s Home said...

I forgot to mention that babies are also very easy to love. In fact, its difficult NOT to love them.

~ Yaya
Yaya's Home

Donna said...

That's the answer. The babies were actually requested (I'd like a 2 year old baby girl, with blonde curly hair and freckles...) Then, of course, time was spent getting ready for the baby...making clothes, knitting blankets, making a bed, bragging about her to the friends at church, etc. until by the time the 2 year old blonde curly hair girl arrived, she was already emotionally part of the famiy. With the fear of having a child removed by the agency, it's easy to see why the babies would be more easily adopted. The kids who rode the Orphan Trains through the CAS, however, were really just a curiosity when people came to town to look them over after having read about "a train of kids from NYC coming to town looking for homes". Not to mention that they were often older and looked upon as able farm hands. GOOD JOB JOANY!