Douglass Day: History Beyond the Classroom

As a future social studies teacher, I am always excited to see how my school incorporates history into special events on campus. From parties to film screenings, the possibilities for history to reach beyond the classroom are endless, and this past Wednesday I participated in a unique experience that brought the 1800s to my computer screen.

February 14th, often celebrated as St. Valentine's Day, is one of those dates that have a long list of reasons for their historical significance. Don't get me wrong, St. Valentine deserves all the celebration he gets, but this year my school gave Frederick Douglass some special attention.

Unsure of his exact date of birth, Douglass chose to celebrate on Valentine's Day. February 14th, 2018 marked the 200th birthday of the abolitionist, and the Saint Michael's community (with some help from the Smithsonian) celebrated in style. Working with a series of handwritten documents from the 1800s that were scanned onto a Smithsonian website; students, staff, and community members were invited to help transcribe the documents for digital use. Participants helped bring historical writings into the 21st century by typing out what they believed the documents said into a special program.

I was really excited to attend the Douglass Day event for a few reasons. First, how cool is it that I got to digitize a piece of history for a database? Second, the event brought together history, literature, and art seamlessly. Guests were given the chance to make buttons with Douglass' face on them, along with the opportunity to help make documents more readily available for research.

The Douglass Day event is just one example of how I can get my students involved with academics outside of the classroom. In the future, I can host my own events that bridge the gap between lessons and real world application for students who want to see why what they are learning matters. Events like Douglass Day are not limited to humanities fields, either. For future STEM teachers, hosting STEM fairs that show science and math in nature and on the job would be a great way to show real-world applications of concepts.

The most important thing I took away from Douglass Day is that there are countless ways to bring a lesson to the next level. There is a whole world of academia at work, and it will be important that my students get to be active members while learning.

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