For more than a decade Virginia’s Museum of History and Culture in Richmond has offered teacher training seminars. This summer the museum is paying teachers to participate.
Each teacher will qualify for a $250 dollar stipend. Maggie Creech, the museum’s Director of Education, says teachers are often expected to give more without pay.
“And so our hope is that when we are asking teachers to come engage with us on our one week long, sort of 9 to 5, 40 hour a week, intensive teacher professional development, that these stipends can help let them know that we value their time,” Creech says.
In addition to the stipend, teachers from out of town will also be eligible for a $750 travel scholarship. The hope is that the money makes it possible for more teachers from outside of the Richmond area to participate.
“We don't just talk about Richmond history, we talk about all of Virginia history,” says Creech. “And so we want to make sure that we're working with teachers from all over Virginia.”
Any Virginia teacher can sign up. Creech says the material in the seminars lends itself well to history and social studies, especially 4th grade and above. But teachers from different subject areas are always welcome, she adds.
“We've gotten quite a few English teachers in the past, they are very helpful to us, because the way that they sort of read and automatically engage with sources always brings something new to the class, which is very cool.”
The museum is offering two week-long seminars in Richmond over the summer. Spots are still available. More information is here.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
