In Their Words: Recent Episodes
Teaching American History
In Their Words is a bi-weekly podcast featuring interviews with Teaching American History partner teachers. They discuss their experience as American history educators with a focus on primary documents.
The Ashbrook Center and TeachingAmericanHistory.org seek to provide high-quality content-focused programs, resources, and courses for teachers of American History, Government, Civics, and related subjects. Students, citizens, and anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the American experience can also benefit from our resources, which include podcasts, a vast documents library, monthly webinars, and in-person seminars.
Ray Tyler spoke with Mary M. Martin, former Social Studies Specialist for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District, who shared her experiences with TAH programs and how our approach is so different from many professional development programs and courses.
Jeremy had the opportunity to speak with Beth Hutchison of Valor Christian High School about her use of two documents from Martin Luther King, jr. - and not ones most people are familiar with.
Documents mentioned:
- Paul's Letter to American Christians, MLK, 4 NOV 1956
- Can a Christian Be a Communist?, MLK, 30 SEP 1962
Additional Related Resources:
- Core Documents Volume: Religion in American History and Politics
- Core Documents Volume: Women's Voices - Religion in American History and Politics
Jeremy Gypton interviews Brett Darling, government and history teacher and football coach at Mica Mountain High School in Tucson, Arizona. Documents and resources mentioned are linked below.
- American Progress, painting
- "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" Frederick Douglass
- The Accessible Federalist, Adam Seagrave
Teacher Programs Manage Ray Tyler speaks with Cheryl Adams, American Government teacher from Idaho, and Madison Fellowship recipient.
Cheryl recommended Charles Dew's Apostles of Disunion, a collection of documents from Southern Secession Commissioners.
Learn about the Ashbrook Academy for high school students, and the MAHG graduate programs for teachers, and access Madison's Notes on the Debates of 1787 here.
Julia, a full-time online teacher of American History and Government at two different schools, is also a MAHG graduate, who puts to use her experience with original documents to help students learn about our history and civic life more deeply.
She was kind enough to offer a resource sheet she created to accompany a lesson utilizing several documents, which together help her address liberty, slavery, and "an inconsistency not to be excused."
Documents:
- Lincoln's Fragment on the Constitution and Union
- John Jay's Letter to R. Lushington
An interview with Anne Walker, middle school Social Studies teacher from Virginia, about her use of original documents with her diverse student population.
A Texas teacher talks with Jeremy about her experiences in the MAHG program and about how she uses original documents with students.
Ray interviews Derek Allison, IB Coordinator and teacher at Lexington High School in South Carolina.
Jeremy interviews Grant Skinner, former American History teacher in the Phoenix, AZ, area, and current Social Studies Coordinator for the Phoenix Union High School District.
Teacher Program Manager Ray Tyler talks with Kyle Wilson, American Government, AP U.S. History, and dual enrollment teacher in the Indianapolis area, about using documents with students.
Karlye Mattie, former AP Government teacher and current Assistant Principal in the Las Vegas area, discusses with Jeremy Gypton her experience using original documents with students and how she started asking questions that she'd never imagined when exposed to documents of which she'd never heard.
Documents discussed in this episode:
- What to the Slave is the Fourth of July? - Frederick Douglass
- Brutus I
TAH.org's new teacher-focused podcast, In Their Words, formally debuts on 14 OCT 20, and in this pre-release episode, TAH.org Teacher Program Managers Ray Tyler and Jeremy Gypton discuss the purpose behind and format of the series, as well as some of their favorite documents to use with students and teachers,