Director of Equitable Partnerships, Belle Meade Historic Site & Winery
Lecture: "Teaching Freedom: The Journey to Jubilee"
The Heritage Foundation's Summer Education Institute is an immersive, experiential professional development program, designed to provide social studies teachers an opportunity to engage with nationally-recognized scholars in research, critical analysis, and study at the Heritage Foundation.
The 2022 Summer Education Institute, "Crossroads: A People's Perspective" brings together educators from all over Williamson County and Middle Tennessee. This cross-curricular two-day event includes breakout sessions, lectures, tours of historic sites in Franklin, workshops, and an archaeological field school conducted from leading experts in the fields of history, political science, and education.
Educators will be immersed in an engaging learning environment allowing for networking with other educators, visiting scholars, and learn more about the historic topics taught in the classroom while acquiring innovative teaching methods and ideas to better engage their students. Our Summer Educator Institute is designed to inspire you - our educators - to learn, lead, and leave with tools that equip you for the classroom. We hope each of you will leave our Summer Educator Institute with a deeper understanding of history, a passion for history education, and a network of colleagues who are ready to work with you in and out of the classroom.
Our 2nd Summer Educator Institute is free. At the end of the event, educators will be offered 12 hours of professional development, offered by the Heritage Foundation of Williamson County, TN. To receive those hours, educators must attend both days.
Registration will begin mid-March - stay tuned! If you have questions, please contact Senior Director of Preservation and Education Rachael Finch.
Courageous Conversations: A Candid Look at Classroom Instruction
Lecture: "Teaching Freedom: The Journey to Jubilee"
Steve T. Phan is a Park Ranger and serves as the Chief of Interpretation at Camp Nelson National Monument. He recently served as the historian at the Civil War Defenses of Washington. He has also worked at Gettysburg National Military Park, Richmond National Battlefield Park, Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, Stones River National Battlefield, Rock Creek Park, and Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument. A military history scholar of the Civil War era, Phan’s research focuses on military occupation, operational command, African American soldiers and refugees, and fortifications during the Civil War. He is the author of articles about Asians and Pacific Islanders in the Civil War and the Defenses of Washington for numerous publications. He was nominated for the National Park Service Tilden Award for Excellence in Interpretation in 2019 and 2020. He holds a master’s degree in American History from Middle Tennessee State University.
Workshop - "Supporting Students in the Collection of Oral Histories"
Lecture: "The Fort Negley Descendants Project: Capturing the echoes of Civil War & Reconstruction through Oral Histories, Archaeology, and Preservation Work"
Assistant Dean for Graduate Education and Strategic Initiatives
College of Arts & Science
Research Assistant Professor
Assistant Director, Mellon Partners for Humanities Education
Director, Fort Negley Descendants Project
Alicia King Marshall is a longtime walking tour guide and owner of Franklin Walking Tours. She’s the history nerd often seen leading field trips in costume by day or telling ghost stories by night. She credits the town for providing a wealth of material, explaining, “Franklin has such a wild past. Making history fun is easy with our cast of characters and remarkable stories.”
A longtime parent volunteer, both of her children attended Franklin schools. She’s an award-winning writer and veteran game show contestant, living by the mantra "carpe diem"!
June 1, 2022 from 8:00-4:30 and June 2, 2022 from 9-3. Doors open at 8:00 a.m. Sessions will begin on day one at 8:00 a.m. and will go throughout the day until 4:30. Day 2 sessions will be conducted in the field (more information to come).
This event is primarily intended for classroom educators, but we also invite the following professionals to attend:
To preserve the integrity of a robust professional development experience, members of the public who are not classroom educators are not permitted to attend.
We will closely follow CDC guidance according to current trends.
Yes, you must register to attend the Summer Educator Institute.
Registration will open mid-March. If there is room, we will accept onsite registrations on Wednesday, June 1.
This year's event is free for all classroom and museum educators. We greatly appreciate any donations made at the time of registration or at the event to help continue our local education initiatives.
Follow the links at the top of the page depending on type of educator.
Yes, there is free parking in downtown Franklin. We have two free parking garages located on 2nd Ave. South and 4th Ave. South. All day free parking is also available on the side streets in the historic neighborhoods, just a short walk to the Theatre. There are inexpensive paid parking lots off of Main Street at 4th and Main and 5th and Main.
All breakfast items and snacks as well as coffee, teas, and waters will be provided by the Heritage Foundation. Lunch will be on your own in downtown Franklin. We will provide maps of downtown Franklin for all attendees.
At this time, we do not plan to record the entire Summer Educator Institute. Day Two will be a rotating schedule of field work and hands-on workshops, which are difficult to capture virtually.
Yes, please contact our office directly for your Professional Development Certificate at rfinch@williamsonheritage.org.
Yes. Any participant requesting a Professional Development credit or certificate must attend the entire Summer Educator Institute to qualify for the certificate.
Professional development certificates will be sent to the email address that you provided by mid-September of 2021.
No, the cost of the certificate will be covered by the Heritage Foundation.
It is your responsibility to confirm with your school district they received your Professional Development Certificate. The Heritage Foundation of Williamson County only facilitates the issuance of the professional development certificate. The application of the certificate is up to each individual, school, and school district.
No. The Summer Educator Institute does not apply towards any continuing education, including undergraduate or graduate hours, and cannot be applied towards a college degree program.
You have until August 15, 2022, to request your Professional Development certificate. We will not process any requests for the 2021 Summer Educator Institute after August 15, 2022.