I spent last night scouring the internet for interesting teacher related activities to do this summer, start getting my "ducks in a row" so to speak. One of my favorite summer activities is attending institutes sponsored by the National Endowment for Humanities(NEH).
I was excited by all of the opportunities this summer offered through NEH. I applied to two, the maximum a teacher can apply to. NEH regulations allow a teacher to attend one workshop. This will be the fourth summer I have applied to one of the Landmark teacher institutes. In 2011, I had my first experience with NEH. I applied for the one institute right here in my back yard ( ok not exactly my backyard, but down the road about 4 miles) here in Lowell, MA. Because I live here in Lowell, I chose not to reside in the dorm,but rather return to my home each night. I spent the week exploring the city's industrial revolution history, listening to scholars and visiting museums.
In 2012, I applied again and ended up in the Land of Lincoln. This time for obvious reasons, I resided on campus for the week. I spent the week in Illinois visiting museums and listening to scholars discuss Lincoln. At night my fellow teachers and I found something interesting to do. One night we even ventured into St. Louis for dinner and a tour of the Arch. Very cool! It was a great learning experience. I had a wonderful time and met some interesting people.
Last I year I tried again, much to my dismay I was wait-listed for not one but both learning experiences. Needless to say I was extremely disappointed, and I was not fortunate enough to attend a Landmark seminar. Once again it is time to apply. I have narrowed my choices down to two topics. The first one is on the Kansas- Missouri Boarder Wars. The second one is in Maryland looking at slavery during colonial America. I am excited about both choices and have begun the application process. If I am accepted, and I hope that I am, I know that I will have a wonderful learning experience where I will gain knowledge and ideas to bring back to my US History classroom.
Check out www.NEH.gov