Area teachers going on field trip to expand their knowledge of history

About 35 teachers will embark on a field trip of their own today, studying the Ohio River's influence on westward movement. In July, another batch of teachers will fan out across Missouri and Kansas to explore Winston Churchill's, Harry Truman's and Dwight Eisenhower's legacies.

The trips are made possible by nearly $2 million in grants awarded through the U.S. Department of Education. The Jackson School District and Southeast Missouri State University coordinate the program. The grants are intended to help teachers make history come alive in the classroom.

"The more history comes alive for us as teachers and professionals, the more it can come alive for the students," said Linda Nash, a retired Jackson High School teacher. Nash decided to apply for the grants after lamenting how No Child Left Behind often leaves no room for subjects like social studies.

The first grant, worth $971,475, is called "Presidents and Precedents." Junior high and high school teachers from about a dozen districts are participating. The three-year grant expires in October.

The program was so successful Nash decided to apply for another. The second grant, worth $999,899, is directed at teachers of grades four through eight. It is finishing the first of its three years and is known as "Confluence and Crossroads: Rivers as Avenues of Change in Traditional American History."

About 60 teachers, from districts including Cape Girardeau, Zalma, Woodland and Delta, are participating in the program.

The money has mostly funded seminars, classroom materials and a yearly trip. The seminars have featured noted experts and Ivy League professors, along with local historians. They balance lecturing about historical events with practical pedagogical training and place a large emphasis on technology.

"I am a history geek. I thought I knew a lot about history. Then I met the professors, read the books I was exposed to and realized how much is out there I didn't know," said John Weber, a high school teacher from Delta. "We've heard from some of the best college professors in the country. The knowledge I got is indescribable."

Nash said the seminars have been particularly helpful for the teachers of the younger grades, who frequently don't have a background in history. She hopes the program helps teachers place a greater emphasis on social studies in the classroom. A study by the Center on Education Policy found that schools have cut social studies instruction an average of 36 percent since the federal No Child Left Behind Act was passed, placing penalties on districts that miss reading or math targets.

Lana Andrews, an ESL teacher in Cape Girardeau, said many of her students come in with little to no knowledge of American history. Her background is English, and before the grant she had not had a history class since high school.

She will be going on the Ohio River trip, which starts in Pittsburg. The teachers will make stops in Cincinnati and Louisville, Ky., exploring the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, forts and a national road museum.

"It gives the lessons a lot more life and a lot more relevance," said Arcadia Valley teacher Don Barzowski.

The grant will culminate with an American History Showcase on Sept. 12 at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau. The all-day seminar is free. Interested teachers can e-mail Nash at ldnash@hotmail.com.

lbavolek@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123

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