It seems like just yesterday that everyone was preparing for the first day of school in August or September 2024, but we’ve somehow wrapped up yet another full academic year. And what a year it was. Together we have experienced a contentious presidential election, a rapidly-shifting educational and political landscape, and an alarming rise in hatred and bigotry—all difficult topics that we have been forced to wrestle with in the classroom. But we also experienced moments of great joy: students graduating and heading off into the world, countless young people standing up for what they believe in, and an NCAA basketball championship for my beloved Florida Gators.
In all seriousness: As you prepare to enjoy some well-earned rest and relaxation, we know as well as you do that the vital work of supporting students, teachers, and educational leaders never stops. Summer is a time to plant seeds, water them diligently, expose them to just the right amount of sunlight, and watch them blossom thanks to your hard work and commitment—and I know you bring this same mindset to developing your schools and districts into places where everyone can thrive and succeed.
In this important historical moment with so much in flux, I’d like to take a chance to highlight a few ways that you can count on Facing History & Ourselves over the summer for resources, curriculum, and events to help prepare your schools and classrooms for the year to come.
New and Updated Facing History Resources
While Facing History is always hard at work behind the scenes crafting and stewarding our resources and curriculum, I’d like to highlight two units that we’re especially proud of and hope that you will share with the educators in your schools and districts.
- In late April, we shared an updated version of Choices in Little Rock—a cornerstone of our Civil Rights Movement content since its first publication in 2008. Covering the 1957 desegregation of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, this unit explores a seminal crisis described by historian Taylor Branch as "the most severe test of the Constitution since the Civil War.” While the original version of the Choices unit will remain accessible throughout the upcoming school year to support educators who have already planned to teach it, the new version keeps the original focus of engaging primary sources and activities while centering on the civic learning-aligned Essential Question: “How do the choices people make, individually and collectively, strengthen or weaken democracy?" This unit has been used widely around the country for almost 20 years, and this new version is more flexible than ever—allowing educators with limited instructional time to teach this essential history without compromising mandatory learning objectives.
- Over the coming weeks, we’ll be publishing our new Teaching Holocaust Literature ELA collection. This set of resources will include three book guides—Night by Elie Wiesel, Somewhere There is Still a Sun by Michael Gruenbaum, and The Assignment by Liza Wiemer—plus a sequence of six introductory lessons that can be used at the beginning of a Holocaust literature unit focused on any title. Studying Holocaust literature is a way for students to connect with history, develop critical thinking, and inspire meaningful reflection—grappling with profound questions about human behavior, responsibility, and moral decision-making. Creating space for intellectual, emotional, and ethical engagement is vital to helping young people develop the skills to navigate complex issues in the world today.
Online Professional Development
In a world that's changing rapidly, school and district leaders must provide their educators with the tools they need to adapt to new trends and standards—all while ensuring that students learn to become engaged and responsible members of our democracy. In addition to numerous in-person options, this summer Facing History is offering a wide range of virtual professional development opportunities intended to support you and your teachers to discover new scholarship, innovative classroom strategies, and resources to help foster student-centered learning environments.
- Workshops for Social Studies teachers include an introduction to Facing History's approach and resources on fostering civil discourse, an exploration of our US History resources, and of course our tentpole Holocaust and Human Behavior seminar that covers teaching strategies and themes of ethics, responsibility, and empathy.
- PD options for ELA teachers tap into recent collections to help students explore—and find their sense of belonging—in the complex world around them. Educators can learn how to use coming-of-age texts and social-emotional learning to help students build critical reading skills while developing their unique voice and sense of agency. Our Exploring Borders and Belonging seminar will introduce teachers to text sets, learning experiences, and unit planning tools to support thematic units on borders and belonging in middle and high school ELA classrooms.
- And we haven’t forgotten about educational leadership teams! Professional development opportunities include an introduction to how working with Facing History can build more inclusive school environments, a conversation on learning with young people across difference, and the return of our School Leaders Summer Institute—a chance to collaborate, connect, and spark dialogue with peers about navigating common challenges as you work to create empathetic school communities.
Connecting with Us In Person
While we know that the summer break is full of vacations and relaxing, we also know how important it is to build relationships face-to-face—and we love getting to spend quality time connecting with our community. In addition to in-person professional development opportunities covering our foundational resources and pedagogy, we’re excited about a few unique chances for leadership teams to meet us and learn more about our organizational impact and approach.
- From July 11-13, members of the Facing History team will be attending the National Conference on School Leadership in Seattle, WA. We can’t wait to meet new people, connect with school leaders, and figure out how we can work together in the future!
- From July 24-27, we'll be in Las Vegas to attend the 17th Triennial AFSA Constitutional Convention for school administrators. On Friday, July 25 from 2:40-3:25 pm PT, Facing History’s Dimitry Anselme and Dr. Steven Becton will be leading a powerful session called “Turbulent Times: Teaching Strategies that Foster Civil Discourse.” We hope to see you there as we discuss this pressing topic.
As you can see, the work never stops—and we’re so grateful for the chance to support your schools, educators, and students all year long. Take a little time to decompress and enjoy the nice weather, then reach out to Facing History when you're ready to to join us in building a democracy free of hatred and bigotry. I wish you a safe, fun, and productive summer break and look forward to reconnecting in August.
About the Author: Desmond K. Blackburn, PhD is President and Chief Executive Officer at Facing History & Ourselves, a national nonprofit organization that works with school systems to use lessons of history to challenge teachers and their students to stand up to bigotry and hate. He has spent nearly 30 years as a career educator (teacher, principal, superintendent, adjunct professor, author). To find out how Dr. Blackburn and the Facing History team can support you, contact us today.
