Missouri Council for History Education State Conference - St. Louis

Joan Musbach, President of the Missouri Council for History Education, offered me an invitation to attend their annual conference on September 28-29, 2007 in St. Louis. I had little knowledge of the organization before attended but had a wonderful time listening to presentations and meeting history teachers from across the state. At the opening session I was introduced by Bill Gerling - Social Studies Coordinator for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Also recognized at the opening session was the 2007 Missouri Gilder Lehrman "Preserve America" History Teacher of the Year - Lana Dicus, a 4th grade teacher at Lipton Elementary School (Moniteau County). Congratulations to Lana on all the great methods she is using to incorporate primary sources in her classroom.

Bill Gerling - Social Studies Coordinator Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Eric Langhorst - 2007/2008 Missouri Teacher of the Year and Joan Musbach, President of the Missouri Council for History Education at the 2007 MoCHE State Conference on September 28, 2007.

The conference was held at the Missouri History Museum at Forest Park in St. Louis. This was my first opportunity to visit the Missouri History Museum and it is an amazing facility. The site had ample rooms for breakout sessions and it offered us the opportunity to visit the permanent exhibit on Charles Lindbergh and the stunning Jefferson Memorial statue in the grand hall.

Missouri History Museum at Forest Park, St. Louis - site of the 2007 MoCHE State Conference.

I enjoyed the conference and encourage history teachers from across the state to join the organization and make plans to attend the 2008 Missouri Council for History Education State Conference on September 26-27 in Blue Springs, Missouri. It will be a joint conference with the Kansas Council for History Education organization. A call for proposals to present at the 2008 conference is now open through March 15, 2008. For more information about the organization or the conference please contact Joan Musbach via e-mail or at (314) 821-0678.

Thomas Jefferson statue in the Missouri History Museum at Forest Park, St. Louis.

Clay County Resolution

On September 17, 2007 I was honored by the Clay County Commissioners at the old county courthouse during a monthly meeting. They passed a resolution in honor of the Teacher of the Year selection to celebrate the occasion. It was a very nice recognition and it was noted that Clay County is the home to the last two Missouri Teachers of the Year. The 2006-2007 Missouri Teacher of the Year was Darryl Johnson, a Communication Arts teacher at Smithville High School - another excellent school district in Clay County.

ABOVE : Craig Porter - Eastern Commissioner of Clay County, Ed Quick - Presiding Clay County Commissioner, Eric Langhorst - 2007/2008 Missouri Teacher of the Year and Larry Larson - Western Commissioner of Clay County at Clay County Commissioner Meeting held on September 17, 2007.