"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world."

   -Harriet Tubman

It’s back-to-school time.  Are you ready for it?

I’m Kimberly McCleary, the new Education Manager, at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. As an educator, I’m full of aspirations for the upcoming school year. I possess an even greater aspiration for my career as an educator – to spark student’s curiosity about history and inspire them to chase after their dreams.

I have to say my secondary teachers had the greatest influence on my life. I was born and raised a Texan. I received a B.A. in History from Texas Christian University.  Then, no stranger to the north, I received my M.A in Museum Studies from the State University of New York at Oneonta. Now, I’m happy to be here at HSP.

What if I showed how to pull your students into the content you teach by taking advantage of an innate human behavior?

What if I said that every television network, movie, book, YouTube channel, and other forms of media use this same tactic?

Curiosity – With over 350 years of history in one building, HSP is a prime conductor of curiosity. Our educational focus on document-based learning offers students differing perspectives on real historical events, conveying a deeper understanding of the context surrounding a particular decision, event, or discovery. Here at HSP, we provide free field trips for students. When visiting HSP as a class, students learn how to navigate a special collections library and have the opportunity to handle primary source documents directly. If students are not able to visit HSP, we also provide free outreach visits to classrooms for all grade levels.

Are you looking for new ideas on how to teach American history? HSP provides standard aligned unit plans on topics such as the Civil War, Yellow Fever, Political Cartoons, Philadelphia in National History, and much more!

Here at HSP, we use primary sources as an interdisciplinary teaching tool to not only spark student’s curiosity in history, but to enhance their literacy skills, critical thinking, and civic engagement. We invite you this school year to utilize the full resources of HSP available to you to inspire your student’s now and into the future.