Margaret Griffin

When I studied the life of Theodore Roosevelt for a Lilly Teacher Fellowship, I was surprised at the number of birds he collected before going to Harvard. Not only was he an accomplished naturalist at a young age, he'd learned much of what he knew on his own.

His bird collection has become my metaphor for independent learning to. I wrote THE AMAZING BIRD COLLECTION OF YOUNG MR. ROOSEVELT (available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble) in 2014 to inspire others to continue their own education. It doesn't have to cost a lot of money. The best kind of study is to make a road trip to visit a museum, a library, or historical site so you can get the lowdown on primary sources. Many photographs and letters have been digitalized for the Internet, which is helpful, but I still prefer visiting actual locations.

My blog, which you can visit at www.amazingbirdcollection.wordpress.com, covers a variety of topics in history and nature. I hope you will become a subscriber and read it from one time to the next.