Middle school teachers spend summer studying Civil War

Erin Townsend, left, Dr. Carol Reardon, and Kim Greer pose for a photograph. Submitted photo.

Thanks to a U.S. Department of Education Teach America History Grant program Nevada Middle School teachers Kim Greer and Erin Townsend spent several weeks touring Civil War battlefields. The grant was facilitated by the Southwest Center for Educational Excellence in Webb City and focused on the Civil War.

After being selected at the beginning of the 2012-13 school year, Greer and Townsend attended numerous class sessions, completed online professional development, read and participated in online book forums, and wrote classroom ready lesson plans to qualify for the summer field study.

In late June, Greer, Townsend, and 28 other social studies teachers from Southwest Missouri boarded the bus for battlefield tours in Vicksburg, Miss., and Shiloh, Tenn. In July, they headed eastward for tours of Harpers Ferry, W.V., Antietam Battlefield (Sharpsburg, Md.), the Army War College in Carlisle, Penn., and Gettysburg, Penn.

A highlight of the trip were the battlefield tours of Antietam and Gettysburg, led by world-renowned Civil War and military historian from Penn State, Dr. Carol Reardon. This is the third year of participation for Greer and Townsend, who have also visited numerous Revolutionary War sites, as well as other Civil War sites as a part of the grant program.