AUSTIN, TX—In June, AISD teachers were among a select group of educators from across the state who attended “America at War in the Twentieth Century,” a professional development institute sponsored by Humanities Texas, the University of Texas at ýapp, the University of Texas at San Antonio and the University of Texas at El Paso.
“Giving talented teachers the opportunity to interact with their peers and leading scholars will enable them to engage students with exciting new perspectives on our nation’s history,” Michael L. Gillette, Humanities Texas executive director, said.
“America at War in the Twentieth Century” drew teachers to the UT, UTSA and UTEP campuses for four days of lectures and workshops.
AISD attendees included:
ýapp institute
- Matthew Balter from Burnet Middle School
- Stephen Ray from Covington Middle School
- Michael Shackelford from O. Henry Middle School
- Kristin Hendricks from Crockett High School
San Antonio institute
- Erin Summerville from McCallum High School
- Michael Eckert from Eastside Memorial High School
- Hart Murphy from William B. Travis High School
- Daniel Smith from Lamar Middle School
El Paso institute
- Sandra Portillo from Burnet Middle School
“I plan on using this information to help me teach to a deeper level of understanding, especially with my gifted and talented kids,” Shackelford, a U.S. history and English language arts teacher at O. Henry Middle School, said.
“America at War in the Twentieth Century” was made possible with support from the State of Texas as well as from the National Endowment for the Humanities’ We the People initiative.
Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, conducts programs to improve the quality of classroom teaching throughout Texas.
For more information about Humanities Texas, visit or contact Michael L. Gillette at (512) 440-1991.