Editor’s Note: The Colonial Williamsburg Center for Teaching, Learning, and Leadership is joining the Making History blog to bring education-related resources and news straight to your inbox, along with the latest news and “freshest advices.”
With classes underway in the nation’s schools, educators nationwide have Colonial Williamsburg on their side in telling America’s enduring story—and making it engaging as well as educational. A total of 433 educators spent part of their summers at Colonial Williamsburg, learning to bring an interactive, interdisciplinary focus to American history and social studies.
The summer Teacher Institute, going into its 27th year in 2018, draws applicants from across the country. This summer, those chosen to attend came from 44 states and the District of Columbia.
Each Institute graduate becomes a valued addition to our ongoing Teacher Community and we enjoy those continuing connections. In fact, our Master Teachers usually are Institute alumni. This national group advises us on K-12 educational programming and trends year-round, and its members often return as summer instructors.
Working with CW educators, historians, character interpreters and their peers, these Master Teachers and other institute participants total more than 9,000 who have built instructional skills and content knowledge through the Foundation. Both pre-service and in-service teachers can access CW’s teacher professional development and resources through theme-based on-site and regional workshops, plus the free online, multi-media Colonial Williamsburg Education Resource Library.
New initiatives and expanded thematic programs begin this October 7-8, with “My Life, My Work, My Home,” an in-depth hands-on workshop in which teachers study colonial American life through primary sources and the rich resources of the Historic Area.
In “As Above, So Below,” Oct. 21-22, participants will learn how Colonial Williamsburg combines existing architecture, archaeology, and primary sources to recreate the past in the Historic Area. The final workshop this fall is “Purposeful Play,” an interactive exploration of 18th- and 19th-century children’s games using classroom strategies.
Once through fall, the Foundation’s professional development staff turn their attention to spring and summer 2018, with an expanded summer institute and seminars.We invite you to register for the Education Resource Library. You’ll find age-appropriate, cross-curricular materials that simplify planning and classroom instruction, including primary courses, lesson plans, videos, and interactive learning games. This searchable online resource is accessible anytime, anywhere.
For those of you familiar with the long-standing Teacher Gazette e-newsletter, we are archiving those editions in the Education Resource Library for easy access and reference. You will need to register for a Making History blog account (there’s a sign-up box on the right-hand side of this page), as we cannot transfer registrations to the new format.
We look forward to working with you this year, and hope you will contact us with questions about our programs.
Email: resourcelibrary@cwf.org
By Mail:
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
BHS 114
P.O. Box 1776
Williamsburg, VA 23187-1776
stan says
brilliant blog thank you for the write up.
It’s Veterans Day! An article on how the new Liberty Lounge is doing would be nice. Visited there in Oct. what a beautiful place. The volunteers are so informative.
If you are a veteran, you should visit it.
It’s embarrassing I would think to keep a link to this blog on the history.org home page when people considering vacations there are led to believe they will read about current goings on in the historic area. How can this blog be allowed to die a slow death be compatible with a genuine effort to save CW itself? It isn’t.
Perhaps you’ve missed the point. I certainly don’t expect this blog to be an events planner or trip advisor. Much little know history was learned before someone decided to let it “die slowly”. Appears there’s little regard for the “common” supporters by the powers that be. Too bad. I miss the little known history .
My husband & I enjoyed a wonderful stay @ CW in Oct. very happy to see that not that much has changed. We have been coming for over 37 yrs. As have out children & friends.
Must admit that I’m very disappointed in the way new information is getting out to the public. If you want every day people to visit, give them something to look forward to. The blog is a great way to do that.
Thanksgiving & Christmas are upon us. Would be nice to see some stories about events that will be happening. It has always been such a beautiful place to visit @ that time. (Have seen 10 Grand Illuminati9ns over the years).
That being said, I have one question. Why no new blogs? I think we deserve an answer. Silence doesn’t help.
Disappointment doesn’t even come close to how I feel about CW. YOUR FOUNDATION is what’s wrong. You have no viable priorities. Your board members who can more than afford to pay for everyday things don’t - to them it’s a perk. I’ve supported CW EVERY YEAR for over 50 years. I’ve been to CW over 50 times. If it wasn’t for supporters like us, you would have closed years ago. So there has not been a peep from the Foundation or the CW PRESIDENT. I guess “mum” is the word. Too bad.
My error. Even worse is last posting was 9/14 not 24!!!
The last posting to this blog was 9/24 and it’s now 11/4. It’s really sad that CW doesn’t do a better job at keeping its loyal supporters and donors informed about things that are happening there. I looked forward every day to the new posting and now crickets from everyone. Have been a supporter & visitor for 50+ yrs so I’m very disappointed.
I would’ve like to have seen a wrap up blog about the events of haunting on dog street, not to mention some great fall pictures throughout the historic area. I love CW and especially during the fall season. Please give us some new information!
Yes ! Please give us some updates. I look forward to see what is going on in CW and am so missing the blog.
Look at Colonial Williamsburg’s facebook page to read a few reviews of the Halloween festivities written by people who attended last year..
There are many things to do when you go to CWF. No one has mentioned the museum which has a vast amount of historical objects. They have always charged a extra fee for special programs. All the trade sites are usually open 5 out of 7 days of the week with staggered days.to give employee time off.. They could have more people to keep them open all 7 days (would be nice). We have been coming to CWF for 40 years and never get tired of it. Some things have changed and some we like and some we are disappointed with but there is still a lot to see if you take the time to learn about what is available. I have stopped and helped a lot of people answer there questions because everything is not obvious to them.
I think because the tradespeople are truly craftsmen there is a hardship in trying to keep the blacksmith, joiners, cabinet makers etc all open seven days without compromising on the skills and knowledge the guests would see.
Gary Kilbride says
Upon finding this blog I’m hardly surprised at the lack of updates or participation. I just spent a week at Colonial Williamsburg and was shocked at the decisions and decline. I posted a Trip Advisor review titled, “Gave away its soul.”
I believe that is accurate, if not understated. I was dismayed at the lack of group interpretations on Duke of Gloucester Street or Palace Green. Those were the foundational aspects of the day. I departed those activities bouncing away with energy and a smile, eager to see more.
Now it’s Dusty Dullsville. Oh…maybe I’ll trudge over there.
Do they seriously believe that posting an interpreter or two inside a building for an awkward exchange is equivalent to those lively outdoor events? How hard and loud am I allowed to laugh?
Nowadays the Surry ferry is more enjoyable, particularly if you cross just shy of dusk.
I think they still do things on the Palace Green.
The streets are under the sway of the modern city of Williamsburg. They used to give CW a permit to do the Revolutionary City events up and down DoG street but for their own reasons stopped giving CW a permit.
It is very disturbing to see so many posts on Trip Advisor recommending that visitors NOT purchase a ticket because they feel you can see everything you want to see and experience in CW for free!
There has to be some way to stop giving away CW for free!
This is from Trip Advisor
“You should know though that CW is having serious financial problems (this may have been already mentioned; I don’t read other reviews before posting my own). Understandably, these financial woes have had their impact, Most significant for the visitor is the fact that many special activities formerly included in a general admission pass are now ala carte, where formerly you paid one entrance fee and flashed your ticket to get into “talks” by Jefferson, Madison, et al; or by tradesmen and shopkeepers explaining their businesses, or artisans demonstrating the making of bricks or the forging of iron implements. The choices were continuous all day long…and still are. Except that most of them now require surcharges, If this isn’t bad enough, you must book in advance when buying your general admission, which reduces your flexibility. You may be enjoying a fife and drum parade (which are free) and suddenly realize that a needlework demonstration for which you paid is starting in ten minutes six blocks away. ”
Many people on Trip Advisor mention that many buildings they wanted to see were closed the day they were visiting. Has anyone been there recently and know if this is a change? Do you really have to pay extra for things that were previously included in the general ticket?
I looked at the daily calendar of events and there are no new charges.
I have visited Trioadvisor for years and people have posted periodically all along that many buildings are closed. I think they are confused by the homes that employees reside in that have never been open.
If you go to the “week at a glance” on the website they list the same number of open sites every day as they have for years.
Someone in the last week on TripAdvisor said there is scaffolding everywhere. I am sure it’s just at the Raleigh for the porch construction, not “everywhere”.
It’s interesting to read the reviews because you will see many very positive then one by someone who it seems really is clueless.
I read one complaining about the “tour bus” once. Complained it didn’t go down the historic streets at all and didn’t stop but a few seconds now and then. They were talking about the SHUTTLE buses!
Thanks very much!
Hi Everyone, My wife and I just got through with a 10 day visit about 3 weeks ago. We loved it!!! Some things have changed but not all that much. The trades are still included with you admission pass. The outside stages still have interpreters who gladly interact with visitors to CW. But there are a few new things being offered for additional fees like dinner with Thomas Jefferson, Behind the scenes tours, secret passages, and garden tours, etc.
I noticed a lot of new faces. I hope that’s not because folks were “let go” or got discouraged and left. We enjoy coming to CW but can’t do it too often (once a year) because of the distance. We learn so much about 18th century life and trades and history from the interpreters. And I do wish the blogs were happening more than once every 30 - 45 days.
We are still thirsty to learn…. All the best to CW and all who love her!!!!
We are fast upon an interval of a month since this post with nothing new here. I don’t know that its right to call it a “blog” if no one does blog any more.
If we didn’t love CW and history it wouldn’t matter.
I have been visiting the CW Facebook page. I need to spend a little more time there to see if you can keep up to date there and if there are substantial articles there.
Reading the blog is what kept me interested in wanting to keep going back to colonial
Williamsburg. There always seemed to be something new to look forward to on a future
Visit.. It’s sad not to be able to keep up with all that’s going on. If there isn’t going to be a blog anymore ! I wish they would just let us know. It is frustrating and disappointing to see the same
Posts for over a month. How are dedicated visitors and supporters supposed to keep up with
Things?
A central leader in Colonial Williamsburg’s commitment to history and interpretation has secured a new job in Richmond.
Ted Maris-Wolf, Colonial Williamsburg’s vice president of education, research, and historical interpretation, will join the staff of the nonprofit Enrichmond Foundation as Caretaker of Historic Evergreen Cemetery, according to an Enrichmond Foundation news release.
Maris-Wolf has also served as director of the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Library at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
A Colonial Williamsburg spokesman declined to comment on Maris-Wolf’s departure Wednesday.
https://wydaily.com/2017/10/05/colonial-williamsburg-leader-of-historical-interpretation-secures-new-job-in-richmond-nws/
The above quote from The WY Daily should have been in quotation marks as it was taken verbatim from the news article written by the WY Daily staff.
Once again, we hear crickets from the foundation. Looks like there is a lot of turmoil at the top.