Archive for the ‘Professional Development’ Category

For the first time, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History will hold a Summer Institute for Teachers at Mount Vernon this year. Apply now for George Washington and the American Revolution, which will be held from June 27 – July 3, 2010. Andrew Robertson, Professor of History, Lehman College, The City University of New York is the director of this exploration of the American Revolution as two different historical events. One was the War for Independence, 1775-1783, that began with Lexington and Concord and concluded with the Treaty of Paris and the evacuation of the British from New York. The “other” American Revolution occurred in the hearts and minds of the American people.

This revolution began in the pamphlets and protests of the 1760s, continued in the Continental Congress, and helped inspire new institutions that emerged after the War for Independence: the abolition of slavery in the North, expanded public roles for women, and the separation of church and state. Both revolutions had global historical significance. George Washington was the pivotal figure in the War for Independence but he played an important role in the second revolution as well. Washington was a representative Virginia planter at the outset of the Revolutionary War. By the time the war concluded, Washington’s ideas about slavery, race, and republican government had been transformed. His leadership after the Revolution helped insure the conservation of both American Revolutions. Teachers accepted into the program will live on Washington’s estate and enjoy unprecedented access to Mount Vernon. More information and an application are available here.

For our Teachers’ Institute Alumni, we have recently put together a slideshow to help you with peer presentations and conferences. This gives a broad overview of the education programs that Mount Vernon provides to all teachers. Enjoy!

Applications for the George Washington Teachers’ Institute have just been posted on our website! The Teachers’ Institute gives teachers of all grades the opportunity to reside on the grounds of Mount Vernon and attend sessions by some of the best scholars in the nation. Participants are immersed in a full schedule of workshops and lectures by scholars such as Ira Berlin, Joseph Ellis, Woody Holton, David McCullough, and Cokie Roberts. Thanks to the unique nature of staying on the lovely grounds of Mount Vernon, participants have the opportunity to engage with our guest speakers at evening receptions, private luncheons at the Mount Vernon Inn, and field trips. Teachers’ Institute dates this year are:

June 22-26th Teachers, grades 5-8

July 13-16th Teachers, grades 3-5

July 20-24th Teachers, grades 9-12

August 3-7th Teachers, grades 8-12

The Teachers’ Institute is sponsored through private funding and is available for teachers in Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Oregon. Participants receive room, board, and a travel stipend. We hope to see you next summer!

For the past ten years, the Bill of Rights Institute has partnered with the Mount Vernon Education Dept. on a range of wonderful programs from Teachers’ Institutes to Teaching American History grants. Recently, the Bill of Rights Institute awarded their George Washington Prize for Teaching America’s Founding and a $2,500 cash award to Christopher Belch of Canton High School in Canton, Michigan. All participants of the Bill of Rights Teachers’ Institute “Shaping the Constitution: A View from Mount Vernon” are eligible to participate in the essay contest. Of his experience, Christopher said, “The privilege of being selected to attend the Bill of Rights workshop has been a dream come true! Upon first arriving at Mount Vernon, I was yet again awe struck and it is hard to find the words to describe the opportunity to get an intensive and personalized tour of the estates and the life of Washington.” Congratulations Christopher!