Posts Tagged ‘George Washington Teachers’ Institute’

You are sitting comfortably on the wide Piazza at Mount Vernon, watching the sun set on the Potomac River. A soft breeze washes over you as you chat leisurely with the teacher on your right. An interesting woman who has the most creative way of teaching about Martha Washington that you have ever heard- you have already exchanged email addresses and look forward to sharing ideas in the future. As you take a sip of the cool white wine and appreciate the evening, Cokie Roberts, sitting in the chair on your left, shares a fascinating tidbit of information about Martha that she is planning to include in her next book. A waiter glides up to offer you another mini-crab cake- yum! As the conversation continues around you, you think back to the busy week you are having at the George Washington Teachers’ Institute. You are a little tired from waking up early to watch the sun rise above the Wharf, but the workshops and lectures kept you engaged throughout the day. Who knew that the author of that book about the Revolutionary War that you just read would be one of your lecturers? You even bought another copy of the book just to have him sign it. Living on the grounds of Mount Vernon makes you feel like one of the thousands of visitors that the Washingtons would hospitably welcome. While you miss your family, it will be very hard to leave this lovely experience behind.

Sound dreamy? Apply for the George Washington Teachers Institute this summer on our website.

Image by L. Toshio Kishiyama.

The tenth year of George Washington Teachers’ Institutes has come to a close, and we are so sorry to see our teachers go! From a one week Institute for Mississippi teachers ten years ago, the George Washington Teachers’ Institutes have grown to four separate Institutes with teachers sponsored from 14 different states. This year, 84 teachers from Mississippi, Oklahoma, New York, New Jersey, Oregon, California, Nevada, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Arkansas, Ohio, Florida, and Minnesota, were able to come to Mount Vernon and stay on the Estate grounds. The teachers listened to lectures by some of the best historians in the country, took behind-the-scenes tours of Mount Vernon Estate, went on field trips to Washington, DC or Philadelphia, and were able to cap off their evenings with sunset on George Washington’s own Piazza overlooking the Potomac River.

If you would like to view pictures from this year’s Teachers’ Institutes, or share your own photos that you took at the Institute, please go to www.flickr.com/photos/mountvernon.