At a time when many teachers are enjoying summer break, about 35 local teachers, including four from Estes Park and Fort Lupton, gathered this week for a three-day workshop honing in on a common interest — learning about and incorporating local Latino history into the classroom.
In partnership with the St. Vrain Valley and Boulder Valley Schools, the Boulder County Latino History Project hosted the workshop at Silver Creek High School in Longmont.
There, teachers worked with historians, curriculum specialists, and past-workshop participants to learn about local Latino history and to explore lessons and materials designed for incorporation into existing curriculum. They also discussed ways to improve classroom conversations about issues of race, ethnicity, and privilege.
Prior to the establishment of the Boulder County Latino History Project in 2013, very little was recorded about local Latino history much less incorporated in schools. With key support from 10 student interns and 85 local volunteers, project leaders gathered 1,600 primary sources (newspapers, photographs, video, and oral interviews) most of which can be found on the Boulder County Latino History website.
“The primary sources make the history come alive,” said Marjorie McIntosh, CU Boulder professor emeritus of history.
Earlier this year, the project marked two major milestones: two new historical books were published by McIntosh, and the project’s teacher-developed lesson plans and classroom materials were published in the new online Teacher Resource Gallery.
Kent Willmann, CU Boulder School of Education instructor, and Flora Sanchez, of the Boulder Valley School District, are co-directors of the project’s K-12 efforts. At the workshop, they helped lead teachers through the vast resources gathered by the project, including interactive online maps, photographs, video clips, and more. The teachers tried out lessons, provided feedback to other participants and project directors for future workshops, and produced at least one lesson plan using program materials. They also toured historical spots in Longmont, including the Kensington Park Unity Project Mural and the Great Western Sugar Factory.
"Thanks to the people in this county, thanks to the people on this campus, thanks to the people in this room, local Latino history is being told, local Latino history is bring learned, and local Latino history has taken it's rightful place on library shelves and in county classrooms,” Willmann told supporters.
The workshop was sponsored by the St. Vrain Valley Schools; Boulder Valley Schools; CU Boulder School of Education; WISE, the Women Investing in the School of Education giving circle; the BUENO Center; the CU Boulder Office for Outreach and Engagement, and, of course, the Boulder County Latino History Project.
> View the photo gallery from the teacher workshop.
> Listen to the Colorado Public Radio story featuring Jason Romero, School of Education alumnus, Boulder County Latino History Project intern, and Denver teacher.
> Read the Daily Camera article about the teacher workshop.
Related Faculty: Kent Willmann