A Toledo teacher will lead a history workshop at the White House

TOLEDO, Ohio – A Glass City Academy teacher will spend part of her summer vacation in Washington, D.C.

Social studies teacher Brianna Appelfeller was one of nine teachers selected across the country to help lead a “master teacher” workshop about the White House and how its history can be used in the classroom as part of White House History Teacher Institute.

“Having been selected as the principal faculty member of the White House Institute of History, I look forward to the opportunity to lead the group at the institute. People who are invited just like me,” said Appelfeller.

Institute, part of Art White House Historical Association selects 60 teachers each year to participate in the five-day workshop.

“They’ll hear from staff historians who are always doing research to help share that history, K-12 institute director Samantha Hunter-Gibbs said. “We will also be talking to former White House staff. It’s always very interesting to hear their personal past anecdotes and experiences.”

Hunter-Gibbs said the organization’s goal is to preserve the history of the White House because students aren’t usually taught about the iconic building and its stories unless the teacher has a special interest in it.

And this is the beauty of the workshop: it happens in the building itself.

“You can read about the White House and watch TV shows about the White House, but there’s something different about being inside the walls, being able to look at the building and say, ‘Wow, I feel the impact of these stories, I feel the inspiration or the feelings that felt by different people,” Hunter-Gibbs said.

Appelfeller said she’ll be able to bring what she’s learned back to the students and help them feel connected to it.

“I do all this for the kids,” Appelfeller said. “I love my students, they are my #1 and biggest fans. I want them to see that they can do anything they put their minds to.”

This is actually the second time Appelfeller will visit the institute. She went with the group last year and enjoyed the opportunity to bring back photos and a story to share with her students.