June 15 2006
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June 15, 2006
Lexington, Kenucky
Sturgill, Turner, Barker & Moloney ("STBM") sponsored the Second Annual Civic Literacy Teacher Academy at the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning in Lexington, Kentucky on June 6 and 7, 2006. Twenty teachers from around Kentucky learned about the U.S. Constitution and gained ideas and resources for teaching the Constitution in their classrooms.
STBM partner, Doug McSwain, gave an enthusiastic lunchtime presentation entitled, "Constitutional Law: The History of our Nation." "The idea," McSwain explained, "is that our constitutional law embodies our national history." Using U.S. Supreme Court cases such as Marbury v. Madison, Dred Scott v. Sanford, and Brown v. Bd. of Educ., McSwain demonstrated how U.S. Supreme Court cases arise out of current events. McSwain's presentation was noted by several Academy attendees as the most interesting presentation of the Academy.
The teachers also learned from presenters from the Bill of Rights Institute, the Youth Leadership Initiative, and the University of Virginia Center for Politics. The two-day workshop also inluded a visit to the Federal Courthouse in Lexington to watch proceedings in Judge Jennifer Coffman's courtoom. Following the courthouse visit, McSwain provided a debriefing for participants on the proceedings and gave participants an opportunity to ask questions.
The Academy is in keeping with Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Greyson's call to increase the civic literacy and engagement of citizens. Greyson was a key-note speaker at the 2005 academy.
