2004 - The NEH Workshop at The Hermitage - Update

We were really pleased to learn that Jan Leone and Marcia Mullin will be putting on this workshop again this summer (2010). It was such a great experience that we would sign up to attend the workshop again, six years later. It was that great!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Review of 2004 Workshop:

Although the Hermitage Workshop took its toll on us in terms of terribly hot and humid weather and a lot of follow-up work, it was a great educational experience. We were always provided with plenty of cold water whenever we were outside, and the classes were held in beautiful surroundings at the Hermitage and at Middle Tennessee State University. One aspect of the experience that could be viewed as positive or negative, depending on a person's point of view, was the trip every day to and from the Hermitage; a 50 minute-ride every day to and from the Hermitage was nice in that it allowed us to get to know our fellow participants a little better, but it is something to take into account. If this presents a problem for you, you may want to check with MTSU if they schedule another Hermitage workshop, and find out if that is still the case; I heard through the rumor mill that they made rooms in a local motel (that is, local to The Hermitage) available the last time they held this workshop.

As I already stated, everything else was great. We even got to do some excavating in the area where the slave quarters were located! All of the people who put on the workshop, including Rebecca Conard, Jan Leone and Marcia Mullin, and the master teachers (Chad McGee and Tony Brown) put themselves out all the time to make us feel welcome. Chad even asked all of us at the Sunday evening welcome dinner if any of us wanted to go to a movie that evening, and he also escorted a group of people to Grand Old Opry one evening! Not my thing, but it was representative of how we were treated the whole week. One of the highlights of the week was the opportunity we had to tour behind the scenes in the Hermitage. Not to be missed!

You might also visit http://www.thehermitage.com/; it contains a great deal of information about Andrew Jackson and his times. Even though he was a contrary cuss, you might find some information of use to you as a teacher. You may want to spend some time viewing the entire site for its historical significance.