“Ms. Sass, I want to stay in your class all day!” says a student as she enters her social studies class. And why wouldn’t students want to stay with a teacher who refers to them as “fabulous people” and “beautiful brains?” Jackie Sass, 8th grade social studies teacher at Mill Creek Middle School, combines her love of American history with her pure enjoyment of middle school students to create a classroom environment of academic rigor facilitated by a caring adult—with a little fun thrown in.
A turning point in Ms. Sass’s career came in 2013 when she had been teaching at Mill Creek for 13 years. As part of the bicentennial celebration of the War of 1812 and the writing of the Star Spangled Banner, Jefferson Patterson Park in St. Leonard received grants from the National Park Service Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail and Star Spangled 200 to create brief videos about the War of 1812. When the park staff approached the school system, the Supervisor of Social Studies recommended Ms. Sass, who saw the opportunities the project would open for her students and quickly accepted the offer to have them write, act in, and film several vodcasts (video podcasts) about the war.
Thus began a three-year collaboration with her friend and colleague Mark Taeschner, library media specialist at Mill Creek. Mr. Taeschner brought his technical expertise to the project, coordinating the filming, editing, and storyboarding, while Ms. Sass guided student research and script writing.
The War of 1812 vodcasts produced during the first year are posted on the Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum website: http://www.jefpat.org/1812video-vodcasts.html. Although the project was intended to last for just the one year of the grant, the teachers were so energized by the project that they decided to do a second year with a new group of about forty 8th graders. Now in its third year, this extracurricular activity is part of the Mill Creek culture. Ms. Sass and Mr. Taeschner plan to expand the topics beyond the War of 1812 to broader local history, with students deciding what stories they want to tell.
How have students benefited from their participation in this project? Field trips for research and filming to Fort McHenry, Historic St. Mary’s City, Sotterley Plantation, and Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum. . . . Research with local historian Ralph Eshelman and professors from the College of Southern Maryland. . . . Costuming with the Port Tobacco Players and Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum. Film editing with a professional videographer. . . . Real-world skills that can translate to future academic work and careers. . . . And public speaking during a red-carpet event at the school during which the students premiered their vodcasts for their families and the community.
And the teachers? For Mr. Taeschner, as a library media specialist who works with all students in the school, he typically doesn’t have his “own” students. The vodcast group, he said, became “his” class. He bonded with them as he taught them technical skills and, yes, even took a turn at acting himself. For Ms. Sass, it’s the perfect blend of student-centered teaching and historical research. “I never have to fake enthusiasm in the classroom,” she says. “I love it!”
“Shine the Light” is a monthly feature about educators in Calvert County Public Schools.
