Where We’ve Been: Summer Teacher Workshops

The summer of 2021 kicked off with a series of professional development workshops across the state. During the week of June 7-11, DMC Education Director Gabrielle Lamplugh attended four workshops to present on educational resources. 

On Monday, June 7, the first workshop of the Alabama History Institutes professional development series through the Alabama Department of Archives and History was hosted at the EarlyWorks Children’s Museum in Huntsville. Master Teacher Amber Broadhead invited the DMC to engage the attendees in a deliberative discussion using the framework of the “Creek War of 1813-1814” Issue Guide.

The following day, the Fort Blakeley virtual teacher workshop focused on the important role that the southern region of the state played in the colonial and revolutionary era. Mike Bunn, Director of Blakeley State Park, gave a historic overview, followed by a deliberation using the “1776: What Should We Do?” issue guide.

In Birmingham, Master Teacher Mandy Mathis led an AHI session at the Alabama Humanities Alliance offices on June 9. Titled “Hear Her Roar: Celebrating 100 Years of Women’s Suffrage,” the workshop centered on the centennial of the ratification of the 19th Amendment. Using the “Votes for Women: Suffrage 1915” historic issue guide, attendees navigated the challenges faced by women as they fought for the right to vote. 

The Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts and Humanities hosted the final AHI session on Friday, with Master Teacher Blake Busbin. The “Monuments, Memorials, & Memory” contemporary issue guide laid the foundation for the attendees to continue their conversation on the lasting impact of the Civil War throughout Alabama. 

Thank you to both the Alabama Department of Archives and History and Blakeley State Park for inviting us to share our educational resources and facilitate deliberative discussions.