Archive for the ‘Professional Development’ Category

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.

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.

Not registered? It’s not too late to do so here.

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.

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.