As Jenny stood there at the side of the road, her mind raced through the lesson plans sitting on the passenger seat. She had stayed late after school, as usual, meticulously reviewing the replica artifacts she would use to bring the Civil Rights Era to life for her 10th grade history students. Jenny loved weaving vivid, interactive lessons to ignite her students’ curiosity.
She worked hard to bring history to life from the textbook pages, helping her students truly understand the events and struggles people had experienced. Her passion for history, especially the civil rights movement, was ignited by her grandfather’s stories from his time marching with Dr. King. She spent many summer vacations at her grandfather’s riverside home, listening to his captivating tales. However, this encounter with the police officer was unlike any lesson she had taught within the safe walls of the classroom.