"Moving Mississippi Up in Classrooms" provides educators valuable resources
The Institute's April Grayson leads a session about collecting oral histories at the Sept. 10 Biloxi workshop
Institute leads workshop on coast, plans second in Oxford in Oct.
On Sept. 10, the William Winter Institute hosted "Moving Mississippi Up in Classrooms," a workshop on the Mississippi Gulf Coast for teachers, administrators, and concerned citizens. Part of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)-sponsored initiative, "Humanities in the Public Square," the half-day workshop will be offered again, in Oxford, on Oct. 8 (link is to registration), for educators in northern Mississippi.
“The most important thing I took away from this event are resources,” said Raedetrus Bass, from Gulfport Central Middle School, in Gulfport. “I gained connections, resources like books/websites, and things to use in my classroom. I also gained resources in order to continue professional development and civil rights advocacy.”
The first presentation, by Von Gordon and Jake McGraw, of the Winter Institute, gave teachers valuable insight on different ways to obtain resources for their classrooms and schools. The team also provided information about both the current state of Mississippi’s public education system and recent activity by the state legislature.
Presenters also provided resources for teachers to take back to their classrooms. April Grayson gave teachers ideas on oral history projects for their classrooms. MDAH showcased the primary resources available for teachers of all grade levels. Teachers also got a sneak peek at the two new museums, the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, set to open in Jackson in December 2017.
Sheila Sundar, director at the Southern History Project, delivered a thought-provoking keynote address about our conception of borders. The address led to a dynamic discussion that continued among attendees after they left the room. Collectively, these presentations equipped teachers with tools to meet the Mississippi social studies standards for teaching civil rights history, as well as Common Core objectives.
Perhaps the most valuable takeaway from the day was the connections made between teachers and members of the community. Establishing these partnerships is essential for creating and expanding learning opportunities for students. Together, we can move Mississippi up in classrooms.
The free half-day workshop will be held again in Oxford, on October 8th, from 8:00am to 1:30pm, at the University of Mississippi School of Law, Weems Auditorium, 481 Chucky Mullins Dr., University, MS 38677. Register here or contact Portia Espy at portia@winterinstitute.org.
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