Day one started off at the Smithsonian Castle where we were honored as Smithsonian Teacher Ambassadors, which basically means that we were going to learn about what the Smithsonian has to offer for teachers and classrooms and then get the word out amongst our states about these resources. We split up into groups with each group heading off to a different Smithsonian museum. I got to go to a section of the Museum of American History that dealt with archives and inventions -- the Lemelson Center. We got to see and take an active role in what an archivist at the Smithsonian does, which was great to see, especially as a History teacher. We learned a lot about the process of reading and using primary sources in the classroom and how to get students engaged in the process. Seeing the "behind the scenes" part of the Smithsonian was amazing, and we got an idea of all the hard work that goes into a museum.
The Smithsonian Institute has a great educator database of all of their museums. Check out their educator website: www.smithsonianeducation.org. They also have great live online conferences for educators that you can see live or watch past conferences because they are all archived. Check out these Smithsonian online conferences on their website: http://expert.si.edu.
After leaving the Smithsonian after this amazing collaboration that we now have, we headed out to the Vice Presidential Mansion, which is actually in the US Naval Observatory. After having a member of the Secret Service board our bus as we got into the compound, we then had to show our IDs, go through a metal detector, and have the Secret Service and explosive-sniffing dogs go through our bus. After all of that, we were allowed to drive to the Vice Presidential Mansion, which is s rather small two-story home, nothing like the White House at all. We walked in the front door and were just in awe of standing in the foyer of the Vice President's home! There were drinks being brought to us, there were hors d'oeuvres for us (with special Vice Presidential seal napkins), and we were even allowed to walk around in a number of the downstairs rooms, which included a sun room, dining room, and two sitting rooms. There were a lot of family photos of the Bidens and a number of honors that Vice President Biden has been given, which even included an actual G.I. Joe action figure of him. Even the phones were interesting, as we were told they were off limits since they were secure lines but they had a speed dial label for the Oval Office on them!
Dr. Jill Biden, the Vice President's wife, then came out and formally said a few words to us about her teaching career and her lifelong involvement in education. She then graciously came up to each one of us and shook hands with us and spoke briefly with us, took pictures with us, and just was such a kind woman. She was very easy going and just easy to talk to, especially since she knows what teaching is like. Then the Vice President surprisingly came into the room, too! It was a surprise because he wasn't supposed to even be there tonight, but he showed up, said a few words, and then greeted each of us personally to his home and thanked us for teaching. Wow! He was very down-to-earth and easy to talk to, and he had a funny story about every state -- the perfect epitome of a politician. It was just one of those moments where, regardless of your politics, you have to almost just pinch yourself because you are there speaking with the Vice President as a guest in his home. He even told me that he has Vermont maple syrup in his kitchen!
Then it was a big group picture on the steps of the mansion before he walked us out to our buses and actually got onto our buses to say goodbye. Wow! Truly a once in a lifetime experience!
I am just so proud to be representing all of the great teachers in Vermont this week in DC!
Cheers!
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