Jeske was selected from a pool of more than 300 applicants to participate in the Library of Congress’ Summer Teacher Institute seminar Teaching with Primary Sources from July 20-24 in Washington.
“I was so thrilled to participate,” she said. “The primary reason the science teachers were there was to learn how to use primary sources in our classrooms. It was an opportunity to add to my tool kit, if you will,” she said.
At the Library of Congress, Jeske and 24 other science educators explored some of the millions of digitized historical artifacts and documents available inside the library and through its website.
“Thomas Jefferson’s books from his library are there,” she said. “We saw Galileo’s books they pulled from the shelves. The library has the notes written by the doctor who took care of Abraham Lincoln after he had been shot. They have newspapers, they have photographs, just an incredible amount of material.”
Jeske, a Dickinson native, is the daughter of Erv and Marilyn Kessel. After graduation from Dickinson State University, she and her husband, Mark, lived in multiple states throughout her 30-year teaching career. Two years ago, they returned to Dickinson after living in North Carolina.
She was hired to teach three electives — actual science, which emphasises zoology; mixtures, focusing on physical sciences; and a course she is developing for spring semester titled science in art.
The desire to visit the Library of Congress was fostered when she took a group of Charlotte, N.C., students there on a tour.
“It was absolutely amazing and I wanted to go back,” she said. ” That’s why I applied for the program.”
Jeske described the Library of Congress as a campus of three buildings, including the digital collections, historic newspapers, sound recordings, film, maps and manuscripts. Topics are grouped according to interests of the readers — kids and families, publishers, teachers, researchers and librarians.
“Every day was something different — we would have presentations, small-group breakout sessions and tours of the buildings,” she said.
By the end of the week, each participant was expected to give a lesson to the other teachers. Jeske did research on symmetry in animals, using the Library of Congress resources.
“We were to pick something and investigate it there,” she said. “I was shocked to find out how many things are available to everyone. It’s our nation’s library. You can go online and ‘Ask a Librarian.’”
As an example, Jeske expressed an interest in Amelia Earhart’s last flight. Among the collection of documents and artifacts, the Library of Congress possesses Erhardt’s palmprint when she had her palm read. Jeske was given a copy of the print. She was also introduced the the Library of Congress’ World Digital Library.
“If you can’t find something on the Library of Congress, the World Digital web division will search other libraries all over the world,” she said.
Jeske is bringing her new knowledge back to Hagen.
“I intend to use the information they’ve given us that will allow my students to investigate or explore on the Library of Congress website as well,” she said. “They will use it as a research method.”
Hagen Principal Marcus Lewton described Jeske as a teacher who makes learning fun.
“She’ll find a book in whatever she’s teaching and read periodically to the kids for 10 minutes,” he said. “She makes every kid feel special. If a kid says something, she makes that kid feel important. She never stops learning. She is always looking for the next thing.”
To the best of his knowledge, Lewton said Jeske is the first teacher from the Dickinson Public Schools to pursue professional development at the Library of Congress.
“She studied how to utilize primary resources in learning, to help the kids do research, to form opinions and to draw conclusions.”
The Library of Congress is not only for teachers and students, it’s for everyone, Jeske said.
“I would say it’s for anyone who wants to have a new experience,” she said. “It’s America’s library. We have our own library and don’t know much about it.”
Reflecting on her experiences, Jeske said, “We were expected to work hard and that’s how I expect my students to be. I think my students are magnificent. This has been my favorite job, and I’ve taught in many states. I feel it’s my responsibility to excite students about science and learning will be easy if that’s done.”
To get started, visit the website, www.loc.gov. and under Services, click on ‘Ask a Librarian.’
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