For a decade, Middle School faculty member Sherri Krassin has been teaching the civil rights movement as part of her Humanities curriculum.
This summer, after receiving a national grant, the teacher will become the student. Not just any student, though, as Ms. Krassin will walk in the footsteps and absorb the sites of one of the most significant time periods in U.S. History.
Ms. Krassin was chosen to attend The Problem of the Color Line: Atlanta Landmarks and Civil Rights History, hosted by the National Endowment for the Humanities Landmarks of American History and Culture Workshops for School Teachers in July.
"I thought it would be interesting to go south and to experience some of this history first hand, because that's important to me," Ms. Krassin said. "You don't have to visit places to teach, but it's helpful given the opportunity. I also like working with other educators who teach the same thing. I'll be working with people who teach civil rights, and I can learn from them."
As part of the highly-selective workshop, Ms. Krassin will visit Piedmont Park, where Booker T. Washington gave his "Atlanta Compromise" speech in 1895; Atlanta University, where W. E. B. penned "The Souls of Black Folk" in 1903; and she will be able to closely follow a detailed timeline of Dr. Martin Luther King, who was born in Atlanta, which became the civil rights capital of the country.
"I'm looking forward to being the student and learning from professors and peers, and I am most looking forward to taking this hands-on knowledge and incorporating it into the Grade 8 curriculum, which should always evolve," Ms. Krassin said.
And Ms. Krassin's teaching of the civil rights movement has helped Academy students evolve, even years after they graduated from the Middle School. Here's what three members of the Class of 2016 had to say regarding Ms. Krassin and the civil rights portion of her Humanities class:
"In seventh grade, Ms. Krassin gave us an assignment on someone who was big in the civil rights movement or the topic in general. I did Thurgood Marshall, the Supreme Court Justice. It was really informative. I felt like I took a lot from that. Now, looking at that today, I'll think back on him and some of the things he accomplished. Also, now there's a Supreme Court battle and you would hope the eventual justice would have some of the same qualities he did."
Aaron Ruiz '16
"At the time we didn't have much of a global component in the Middle School. In seventh grade the theme was "Knowing One's Self," so discovering who you were, and she created a culture of acceptance in her class. She opened our eyes to different ideas, cultures, struggles and problems people have faced in their lives. For the civil rights unit, understanding the struggle other people have faced helped me develop an understanding of that."
David Little '16
"It was really the first time I had studied the civil rights in depth. Ms. Krassin seemed knowledgeable in that, so that was good. We learned a lot about laws that were passed at that time, and we read different types of literature I had never been exposed to before. I got a solid foundation of what the civil rights movement was all about."
Allie Collins-Anderson '16
