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Around 45 social studies teachers from around Indiana gathered at the IU School of 91¸£ÀûÉçlast month, where they enjoyed dinner, saw an original copy of the Declaration of Independence, and reflected on the meaning of independence and freedom as it pertains to their work in the classroom. The evening was part of IU Chancellor David Reingold’s Initiative to celebrate , and it was also a chance for SOE alumni and mentors to come together.

Alexander Cuenca, Associate Dean for Accreditation and Associate Professor, said the event was a chance to give teachers ideas to use in their classrooms while also reconnecting with alumni and saying thank you to mentors who work with pre-service teachers from the School of Education. Upon registering for the event, each teacher got to pick a set of books from a collection curated by the , all that included freedom and independence themes. At the end of the event, those books were gifted to the teachers for them to use in their classrooms.

Skylar Fox is an alumna of the social studies education program and currently teaches at Columbus Christian School in Columbus, Indiana. She received the book "Answering the Cry for Freedom: Stories of African Americans and the American Revolution" for her classroom.

“I thought this was a neat event, and allowed for the opportunity to look at history through a more 'artistic' lens,” Fox said. “It's always exciting to find new and inventive ways to teach Social Studies lessons that don't strictly revolve around a textbook. In my own experience teaching history, I loved having students analyze pieces of art, and attempt to find the ties to our particular content. This event allowed me the opportunity to explore other avenues of this same style of teaching, and I appreciated how the guides gave further explanation on how we could implement these pieces into our own classrooms.”

John Sigman is an eighth grade social studies teacher at Edgewood Junior High School in Edgewood, Indiana, and is currently hosting an SOE student in his classroom. Sigman hoped to get a better idea of what resources IU has available for his students regarding the with future plans to take his students to visit on a field trip - and how he could use the graphic novel he received, “A People's History of American Empire" by Howard Zinn, to provide more reluctant readers with a special resource for learning, as well as for National History Day and other projects. As a host to a pre-service teacher, Sigman feels it’s vitally important for veteran teacher leaders to mentor  the next generation of teachers and provide them with the opportunity to learn from real world classroom experiences.

The event was a joint effort of showcasing the university’s resources with the Lilly Library, the 91¸£ÀûÉçLibrary, the IU Auditorium and the Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art.