During the spring of seventh grade, Crossroads Academy students take a deep dive into the life and work of Robert Frost. The title of the unit, “You Come Too,” is drawn from the refrain of “The Pasture.” At the close of both quatrains, Frost writes, “I sha’n’t be gone long–you come too.” As the unit came to a close, the class celebrated with a field trip to Bread Loaf. Yes, “you come too”!
The day began with a visit to the Green Mountain National Forest ranger station in Rochester, Vermont, to introduce the concept of public lands and the virtue of stewardship. At Texas Falls, students enjoyed snacks, recess, and a full-class recitation of “Fire and Ice.” Our third stop was the Robert Frost Interpretive Trail, where students recited “The Pasture,” “The Secret Sits,” and “Nothing Gold Can Stay” in appropriate and majestic settings. Lunch at Middlebury’s Bread Loaf School of English, where Frost taught for 40 years, was followed by a Socratic seminar on the porch of the Bread Loaf Inn. For nearly a century, teachers and students have gathered in this spot to analyze and discuss texts. “The height of the adventure” was a pilgrimage to Robert Frost’s cabin. In Frost’s sitting room–in front of the fieldstone fireplace–students were filmed reciting their favorite Frost poems. The field trip concluded with joyful sledding on “A Patch of Old Snow” at the Middlebury Snow Bowl.
