Every December Mount Vernon hosts its Evening for Educators — a time for nearly 200 area teachers to gather at the estate for a totally free performance, hors d’oeuvres and wine, and candelight tours of George Washington’s Mansion. It’s Mount Vernon’s way of saying thanks to all the educators who work hard keeping America’s children abreast of the nation’s past. This year teachers got a behind-the-scenes peak at the enslaved community at Mount Vernon. Washington’s enslaved servants Billy Lee, Caroline, Oney Judge and Christopher Sheels, plus Thomas Jefferson’s manservant Bob Hemings, discussed what the new constitution might mean for them.
The performance was filmed as part of a Mount Vernon distance learning program, and will air on local Fairfax Network on February 22 from 1 to 2 p.m. Afterwards, it will be available for free on DVD.
Interested in attending next year’s event? Keep an eye out as the holiday season rolls around and RSVP. Find out about programs such as this via our education department’s email listserv: Ask to be included by emailing education@mountvernon.org with your request.
Every year Mount Vernon sifts through a large pile of applications and chooses one D.C.-area educator to be the Mount Vernon teacher of the year. This year’s talented winner is Amy Trenkle, a history teacher at Stuart-Hobson Museum Magnet School in Washington, D.C.
In her essay, Trenkle shared a story about a collaborative project she designed between her 8th graders and a 3rd-grade class at Watkins Elementary School. The 8th graders wrote plays based on George Washington artifacts and the 3rd graders acted them out. Students blogged about their experience and in the end, gave a performance at Tudor Place, home to Martha Washington’s granddaughter Martha Custis Peter and her husband, Thomas Peter.
Trenkle is the first middle school teacher to win the award. For the past 11 years, she has coordinated and sponsored Stuart-Hobson Museum Magnet School’s National History Day Competition. Trenkle has also participated as an education advisor for a number of organizations such as DC Geographic Alliance, DC National History Day, Smithsonian Teacher Partner Programs, Smithsonian Institution Exhibit and Curriculum and the Teacher Advisory Board for the National Park Service.
“Ms. Trenkle teaches American History not because students need to know a collection of old facts, but because history helps them understand how the world works and how human beings behave,” said Stuart-Hobson Museum Magnet School’s former principal Brandon Eatman. “Knowledge of the past is required for the understanding of their present realities.”
Trenkle was awarded $5,000 and an all-expenses-paid field trip to Mount Vernon for her students.
For the next six weeks, George Washington will be hanging out on the wharf in beautiful Alexandria, Va. Mount Vernon’s traveling panel exhibit, which consists of seven brightly colored, informative panels about the general, is being shown at the Alexandria History Center and Museum Store (101 N. Union St.) next to the city’s landmark Torpedo Factory.
The exhibit and its twin, which has already been set up in Morristown, N.J., are made possible through generous support from the F.M. Kirby Foundation.
Where else will these beauties go? The answer to that question is entirely up to the fancy of venues across the nation. Although each exhibit is currently booked through March, they’re available to schools, libraries, museums, town halls and universities all over the United States.
For additional images of the panels email education@mountvernon.org. For booking and transport fees contact Joanna Byrne at Byrne@GilderLehrman.org.
Peter Seibert, executive director of the National Council for History Education, was kind enough to stop by Mount Vernon and plug his organization’s annual conference, this year in Charleston, S.C. from March 31 through April 2.
NCHE always chooses a conference site where the anniversary of a significant event in American or world history is occurring. This year’s attendees will be at what is considered by most historians to be the birthplace of the Civil War on the 150th anniversary of the start of the war; the conference is appropriately themed “The Causes and Consequences of Civil War.”
Just as at the last eight conferences, Mount Vernon will be presenting a workshop for teachers. Acting Vice President for Education Nancy Hayward will be collaborating with Lee Ann Potter from the National Archives and Sandra Trenholm, from the Gilder Lehrman Collection to present their session “How Many Questions and Answers About Civil Wars Can Nine Primary Sources Prompt?” In this presentation, participants will analyze nine primary sources (three from each collection) that are meant to evoke thoughtful questions and answers. The presenters will encourage various methods for integrating the resources into classroom instruction.
The nation’s first four presidents plus journalist Cokie Roberts joined forces at Mount Vernon on Thursday for the education department’s annual “Evening for Educators.” Although the event usually consists of a lecture, drinks and hors doeuvres, and a holiday tour of the Mansion, teachers this year became part of a live dialogue between George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, which was moderated by Roberts.
The conversation will be part of Mount Vernon’s “Fractured Union” broadcast, which will air soon as a resource for classrooms across the nation. The founding fathers talked about the sometimes tumultuous relationships that they formed while founding the nation. After a somewhat heated discussion, they were able to cool off, mingling with teachers and enjoying a few snacks.
Mount Vernon recently invited K-12 schools nationwide to request framed portraits of George Washington to display in a respectful, prominent place.
The response was overwhelming: thousands of schools submitted letters! Along with the portrait, schools received curriculum materials to help explore our first president’s contributions.
