CHARLESTON DAY SCHOOL
Colonial Charleston Teacher Institute Graduate Course Teachers Become Students Again At Charleston Day School, we encourage our teachers to pursue professional development opportunities. As lifelong learners, our teachers seek academic programs that inspire them, and as a result, inspire our students. This year, five of our teachers attended the Colonial Charleston Teacher Institute. Mr. Wascom: “The Colonial Charleston Teacher Institute experience was extremely illuminating for me. All of the sites we visited had great historical significance that have helped enhance my teaching of the colonial era and the American Revolution. If I had to choose one site that was most enjoyable, it would be the Old Exchange Building. I am fascinated by the economics of history, and the Old Exchange tour provided tremendous insight into the economic activities of South Carolina and the fulcrum Charleston served economically in the colonial era. The tour also did an excellent job discussing the history of the Old Exchange building during the Revolutionary War, helping to expand my understanding of Charleston’s role during the American Revolution and the impact the war had on the city. The CCTI program did a wonderful job in providing insight on colonial Charleston, and I thoroughly enjoyed participating in the institute!” The Colonial Charleston Teacher Institute (CCTI) is a graduate course designed to connect educators with a variety of historic locations as well as exclusive educational experiences and content. Our teachers Ms. Bullard, Mrs. Shortridge, Ms. Ladue, Mr. Newer, and Mr. Wascom completed the 2
SPRING 2022
CCTI Masters Course at The College of Charleston this past November.
The Goal of the Course The goal of the course was to ignite a passion for the Colonial History of South Carolina. The nonprofit organization, The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in the State of South Carolina (NSCDASC) accomplishes this goal through its Powder Magazine Museum and in partnership with other colonial sites. At The Teacher Institute, graduate students learn to develop a crosscurricular, experiential lesson/unit plan on South Carolina’s Colonial History. Ms. Ladue: “The Colonial Charleston Teacher Institute was an exceptional experience that allowed me to take a deep dive into the history of Colonial Charleston. My favorite experience was at Colonial Dorchester where we learned about an entire planned community of Congregationalists who moved to Carolina from Dorchester Massachusetts. They created a thriving trading center that was occupied until the Revolutionary War. We were able to participate in an archaeological dig and personally interact with history.”
Lectures and Locations Visited The teachers dedicated their time over a three-month period, attending both Zoom and on-site field trips, to learn our rich history in South Carolina. Mrs. Shortridge: “It is hard to pick one field trip I enjoyed most, but if I had to, it would be Middleton Place. It fits so perfectly with the colonial unit we study in 3rd grade. Middleton Place has a wonderful educational program to teach the students about what life was like during that time, including the process of growing Carolina Gold, our cash crop. I enjoyed the program so much that we went on a 3rd-grade field trip there a month later.” The site visits included Charles Towne Landing, The Powder Magazine, The Gibbes Museum of Art, The Old Exchange Building, HeywardWashington House, Middleton Place, The Charleston Museum, Colonial Dorchester, Fort Moultrie, and the Charles Pinckney Site. The Zoom lectures were on “Charleston’s Colonial History” with Peg Eastman, “The Yamasee Wars” with Jon Marcoux, “The Walled City” with Katherine Pemberton, “HistoryMaking Women of Charleston” with
