Partner Feature - The President Woodrow Wilson House

March 30, 2015

(Photo courtesy of Robert A. Enholm/The President Woodrow Wilson House (L to R: Ahmad, Real World History student and Woodrow Wilson House intern, with Robert Enholm, Woodrow Wilson House Executive Director))

Center for Inspired Teaching is proud to partner with the President Woodrow Wilson House through the Real World History program.

The President Woodrow Wilson House is a historic house museum focusing on President Woodrow Wilson’s “Washington Years” – 1912-1924, when he served as President and then lived in this House thereafter. The House promotes a greater awareness and understanding of President Wilson’s public life, and the legacy of ideas that he left for future generations, through guided tours, exhibitions, and educational programs. The House is a National Historic Landmark and a site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The Real World History program enables the Woodrow Wilson House intern to acquire and practice a range of skills, such as working in a professional setting, interacting with the public, and collaborating with a professional team. The skills required for a young person to thrive in college or in his or her career go beyond those traditionally taught in high school. Broadly, these would include interacting with a variety of people, being organized, being creative, and solving problems.

“From the first time I heard about the Real World History program, I knew that we would want to participate,” remarked Robert A. Enholm, Executive Director of the President Woodrow Wilson House in Washington, DC. “Introducing high school students in Washington to the possibilities of a career in museums is an excellent idea. Adding to that the opportunity to advance the real world skills of those students makes the idea irresistible.”

“As a non-profit organization with an educational mission, we benefit from seeing our historic site through the eyes of a student. At the Woodrow Wilson House, we have the responsibility to teach history and to look at President Wilson and his times through a historical lens. What we see will lead us to insights about our own times. Assessing President Wilson’s accomplishments and shortcomings, we see that he imagined the world at peace and proposed a plan to achieve that vision. That may be his greatest legacy.”

Learn more about the Woodrow Wilson House at www.WoodrowWilsonHouse.org.

Micaiah Anderson

Community Outreach Specialist

As a Community Outreach Specialist, Micaiah is responsible for program promotion and outreach support for Inspired Teaching events and workshops. Micaiah has a passion for collaborating with community members to build-power and connect. She is an educator with a heart for youth and has experience supporting students fight injustices within their schools and communities. She has a BA in Political Science from, the real HU, Hampton University & anticipates graduating in May 2024 with a Masters of Arts degree in Educational Policy Transformation from Georgetown University.

AUTONOMY

"I want to have a say in what happens to me."

Autonomy is the need for independence; the ability to make choices, to create, to explore, and to express oneself freely; to have sufficient space, to move around, and to feel unrestricted with opportunities to exercise free will.

Brady Maiden

Outreach Coordinator

As the Outreach Coordinator, Brady helps maintain Inspired Teaching’s social media presence and supports the organization’s mission to connect with DC community leaders, educators, and parents. Brady has her Master’s in Public Policy from George Mason University and her BS in Political Science from Northern Arizona University. She is passionate about community, equity, and coalition building recognizing that learning and growing with the community at large is how we continue to be impactful.

What brings you joy in life?

I find joy in spending time with my friends and family and meeting new people. I like going to concerts and festivals, and finding new books to read.

The Learner’s Cycle, Wonder-Experiment-Learn, and the Teacher’s Cycle, Observe-Plan-Instigate, comprise Inspired Teaching’s approach to engaging students in inquiry-based learning.

When they are engaged in the Wonder-Experiment-Learn Cycle, students are immersed in learning. They take the lead in designing authentic learning experiences around their own interests and their school’s standards of learning. Each discovery leads to a new question which in turn leads to more wondering and more learning. In the Wonder-Experiment-Learn Cycle, Learn is not a destination or an endpoint; it is a deeper understanding, leading to a deeper wondering and new possibilities that create new entry points to further exploration. The cycle continues because what students have learned generates more wonderings that require more experiments that foster more learning – and on and on.

The Observe-Plan-Instigate Cycle is the work of an Inspired Teacher. While a student is expected to follow the Wonder-Experiment-Learn Cycle, the teacher joins them on the learning journey while following their own cycle of Observe-Plan-Instigate. This cycle ultimately serves to ensure an inquiry-based atmosphere is at play in the classroom.

Jaqueta Abbey

Teaching and Learning Specialist

Jaqueta is the Teaching and Learning Specialist for Inspired Teaching. In addition to her current role with Inspired Teaching, Jaqueta is a first-grade teaching assistant. Her background features a variety of traditional and non-traditional experiences in the field of education, including working as an adjunct professor, teaching summer reading programs to children and adults, and tutoring children in the foster care system. Jaqueta earned a B.A. in Communication Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an M.A. in Interactive Media from Elon University.

What brings you joy in life?

Creative self-expression! In addition to my passion for storytelling, I love dancing of all kinds. I've studied belly dance, bachata, and Brazilian Zouk among other styles. I also enjoy glass fusing, crocheting, photography, and cross stitching. These art forms allow me to express myself and build connections with other people at the same time. I think life would be a lot less vibrant without artists and storytellers!

Michelle Welk

Communication & Marketing Specialist

As Communications and Marketing Specialist, Michelle is responsible for finding and creating new ways to highlight Inspired Teaching and promote its programs in order to expand and deepen the organization's impact. Michelle has worked in communications in an array of settings, from creative agencies to state politics to national nonprofits. She has a BA in Journalism from Temple University in Philadelphia and is passionate about education, access, and equity.

What brings you joy in life?

My son, the beach, making a persuasive argument and good food!

Max Peterson

Real World History Assistant Teacher

Max received his Bachelor’s degree in History and African American Studies from Boston University in May 2016. He has worked in museum curation at the Museum of the White Mountains in New Hampshire and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Max has worked with young people of varying ages from young children to young adults transitioning to college.

Feedback and Accountability

We grow through feedback and an understanding that the quality of our work is a reflection of what we are learning, but the shift to remote learning this spring disrupted a lot of the tools teachers were used to using to evaluate student growth. How might we do things differently this fall? Participants in this workshop will explore ways to bring meaningful assessment into the virtual and/or socially-distanced classroom and approaches to student feedback that strengthen motivation, and build relationships and achievement.