Local teacher selected to participate in prestigious Ford’s Theatre summer program
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The following is a news release and photos from Ford’s Theatre.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ford’s Theatre announced that Shannon Blosch, English and history teacher at Sandcreek Middle School in Ammon, was selected to attend The Seat of War and Peace summer teacher institute from July 21-26.
The Seat of War and Peace is a week-long summer teacher professional development program offered by Ford’s Theatre education staff in collaboration with the National Park Service. The 2019 program included 22 educators from 15 states and the District of Columbia.
The Seat of War and Peace is designed to help educators better understand and teach about the different ways America has remembered and forgotten aspects of the Civil War. Throughout the week, teachers visited and examined different monuments and memorials in Washington, D.C., and learned how to study these sites as primary sources. Teachers will return to their classrooms better prepared to engage students in nuanced discussions about the roles of monuments and memorials in their own communities.
The week-long program included visits to the African-American Civil War Memorial, where teachers learned the history of the United States Colored Troops and how their service was memorialized, Arlington National Cemetery, where teachers considered how and why Confederate memorials were placed and still stand on federal land, the Emancipation Memorial, where teachers spoke aloud the speech that Frederick Douglass gave at its dedication, and the Lincoln Memorial, where teachers analyzed the historic and political context in which it was built.
“We are incredibly excited to welcome Shannon to Ford’s Theatre,” said Associate Director for Museum Education Jake Flack. “Each teacher’s diverse perspectives and experiences will help to drive the week’s discussions about historical memory and its relevance today.”
“Teachers who work with the Ford’s education team return to their classrooms with new knowledge, resources, and a professional support system to implement lessons that deepen their students’ understanding of the complexity of the Civil War and its ongoing legacy and relevance in the world today,” said Assistant Professor of Curriculum and Pedagogy at George Washington University Maia Shepard.
Ford’s Theatre educations program are supported by Lead Education Sponsor BP America with additional support from United Airlines.
Schools and teachers interested in learning more about The Seat of War and Peace should visit www.fords.org/for-teachers/programs/the-seat-of-war-and-peace or email education@fords.org.