Last month, an Irving teacher traveled to Dallas to participate in a one-day workshop focused on teaching civics and the American government.
Jennifer McDaniel, who teaches government at MacArthur High School, attended the workshop, which offered teachers the opportunity to work closely with leading scholars, studying the U.S. Constitution as well as the branches of the federal government.
During the morning, participants attended dynamic lectures and presentations. In the afternoon, they joined faculty in small workshops to examine primary sources and develop effective strategies for classroom instruction.
Faculty members included Richard A. Baker of the United States Senate Historical Office and Raymond W. Smock of the Robert C. Byrd Center for Legislative Studies. Baker is the first historian of the United States Senate. Smock is former historian of the United States House of Representatives and is now director of the Byrd Center.
Charles Flanagan, director of educational programs of the Center for Legislative Archives at the National Archives, also served on the workshop faculty.
Other faculty members included retired U.S. federal judge Royal Furgeson of the University of North Texas at Dallas and Jeffrey Engel of the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University. Furgeson is founding Dean of the University of North Texas at Dallas College of Law. Engel is director of the Center for Presidential History.
The workshop, which was held at the George W. Bush Presidential Library in Dallas, was sponsored by Humanities Texas.
“Humanities Texas is delighted to include an exceptional teacher from Irving in this educational endeavor,” said Humanities Texas Executive Director Michael L. Gillette. “Bringing teachers together to learn from leading scholars and from each other is an effective way to ensure that Texas students continue to receive the best possible educational opportunities.”
The workshop was made possible with support from the State of Texas, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the George W. Bush Presidential Library.
Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, sponsors programs promoting heritage, culture and education throughout the state.
