Press release submitted by Old Sturbridge Village
Old Sturbridge Village will host the first program in its 2018 Speaker Series on Thursday, April 5. Sydney Chaffee, America's 2017 Teacher of the Year and a humanities teacher at Boston's Codman Academy, will give a presentation at the living history museum.
Sydney Chaffee. (Courtesy photo)
Chaffee takes risks every day to improve learning for all of her students. In the classroom, she strives to create lessons that demonstrate how education can be a transformative tool for social justice, and she encourages her students to see themselves as having the power to make change in the world based on lessons from the past.
"Education must be authentic. There is no use in studying history if we believe it to be static and irrelevant to the future," she says. "Authentic learning enables students to see and create connections in the world around them."
She tries to infuse the hard work of learning with joy, not only in her classroom but throughout the school. For example, she is the coordinator of a school-wide Community Circle every Thursday where all students in the school come together to celebrate successes, share good news and dig into serious conversations together.
Don't miss what is sure to be an inspiring lecture for all concerned about the state of education in America today. Chaffee's appearance is of special interest to students, teachers, and families of the Old Sturbridge Academy, the charter public school at Old Sturbridge Village that opened last year.
A reception with the speaker, including refreshments and a cash bar, opens at 6 p.m., and the lecture will begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are available online at www.osv.org, or at the door for $12 per person ($10 for Old Sturbridge Village members). For details, call 508-347-0290.
About Old Sturbridge Village
Old Sturbridge Village, first opened to the public in 1946, is one of the country's oldest and largest living history museums, celebrating life in early New England from 1790-1840. It is the largest living history museum in the Northeast. Each year, more than 250,000 visitors interact with costumed historians, experience up-close demonstrations of early American trades, and meet heritage breed farm animals. Situated on 200 scenic acres, the Village is a collection of more than 40 historic buildings - including homes, meetinghouses, trade shops, working farms and three water-powered mills - restaurants, shops and the Old Sturbridge Inn and Reeder Family Lodges.
Located just off the Massachusetts Turnpike and Routes I-84 and 20 in Sturbridge, Mass., Old Sturbridge Village is open year-round, but days and hours vary seasonally. Daily admission is: $28 for adults, $26 for seniors, $14 for College Students, $14 for children ages 4-17, and children 3 and under are admitted free. Each admission includes free parking. Village Members receive free daytime admission. For details, visit www.osv.org.