August Newsletter - Launching the VCHE Website
VCHE is a new chapter of the National Council of History Education. We have recently established our officers and board of directors and developed a mission and vision statement centered on cultivating creativity in Virginia history education. We aim to support ambitious pedagogical techniques in formal and informal spaces of history education which center inquiry, the agency of teachers and learners, and deliberation over the common good.
VCHE is moving forward with an initiative to build out our organization website as a space for Virginia history educators to connect and share resources. The website will showcase history education work happening throughout the Commonwealth, providing an opportunity to connect classroom teachers, museums, historic sites, universities, and professional organizations. In keeping with our mission to "cultivate creativity" we are working to involve artists and community groups in history projects.
You are currently reading our very first newsletter. This page will feature stories and updates from VCHE members including the upcoming posts:
September: William & Mary's Sam Futrell will share how she built successful partnerships with museums in Richmond in her middle school classroom as well as how museum partners have helped support a new teacher professional development initiative, lilyPD.
October: VCHE’s Vice President Diance Francis will share how she engaged her students in place-based history education during a study abroad trip to France.
VCHE would love to feature member stories on this page. We're looking for stories about creativity in Virginia history education, for example projects that build partnerships between schools, organizations, and communities, or examples of teaching approaches that excite students (and teachers!) If you are unsure what you do counts as creative, submit anyway! Stories should be approximately 500 words, include visuals if possible, and follow standard guidelines for protecting student privacy. If you would like to submit a story for the newsletter please email VCHE president Sara Evers at severs@ferrum.edu.
We would like the website to be a two-way street, not with a target audience but a target community. With this goal in mind, we are hosting a collaborative discussion on Tuesday October 6th at 4:30 pm. Please join us for a conversation about how VCHE can support you. We will invite your ideas about Virginia history education and VCHE broadly, before focusing on how the website can be a first step towards building connections and sharing resources. Details coming soon!
