NEH Workshops

What an amazing summer! For me the summer is always about rejuvenation and nourishment of the soul. This is the time when I can really catch up with friends, books, and trends in the library field. This summer I have had an additional focus though-- curriculum. I spent two wonderful weeks in Chicago and New York City exploring some in-depth topics.

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) supports teacher workshops every summer. They offer a stipend and travel expenses to those who are accepted to the workshops. This makes an out-of-town workshop possible for teachers and librarians on a budget. This is the link for last years' workshops. http://www.neh.gov/projects/landmarks-school.html. They post the new workshops each January.

The first workshop I attended was in Chicago. There I studied the American Skyscraper. I learned about the birth of the skyscraper as a reflection of the culture of the times, the rise of big cities and the rise immigration. Fascinating! We took daily walking tours around the city to really get a feel for the types of architecture through the decades, and we got to see blueprints, architects’ sketchbooks and a variety of other primary sources.

In New York City, I attended my second workshop. Here I studied Ellis Island. We spent each day actually on Ellis Island and got to really put faces to those who immigrated to the United States from the 1890's until around 1925. We took a tour (with a hard hat and everything!) of the hospitals that are currently being renovating, saw many exhibits, and toured tenements downtown. The primary sources they provided us are also unbelievable!

I have come back with so many rich ideas of how to present these primary sources to my students in the library. Submerging students in the culture and “feel” of the times should allow them to have a better understanding and appreciation of what they are learning. I will definitely be looking into more workshops like these for next summer!