In the Footsteps: Exploring Jefferson's Monticello
My students need a trip to Thomas Jefferson's home, Monticello, to walk in the footsteps of Jefferson's Sons, and explore the history they have studied and fallen in love with.
This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
My Students
My students are amazing, unique, and racially and culturally diverse. They speak over 40 different languages in their homes. 100 percent of students at our school receive free and reduced lunch. We are a Title I public school in Middle Tennessee. The strengths of my students are that they are strong, intelligent, and committed to success. When they set their minds to meeting a goal, they achieve it. My students love to read and learn; they are hard working, creative, responsible, and respectful. They persevere to overcome differences, disadvantages, and everyday challenges.
All of us are a united school family who wants to explore our past world, learn from it, and work to improve it for posterity.
My students are curious and want to explore the things they've read about, like the settings of books, US History, and college campuses. They love learning about how the United States became what it is today, and are excited to think about what their own futures hold. We are a beautiful blend of cultures, languages, and potential.
My Project
In addition to taking traditional US History, my students have read the book Jefferson's Sons in English class. This book has impacted their understanding of history and what it was like to live in Thomas Jefferson's time. My students connected to the protagonists: Beverly, Harriet, Madison, and Eston who are the children of Thomas Jefferson and his slave, Sally Hemings. My students empathized with the pain, confusion, adventures, disdain, and love they must have experienced growing up at Monticello.
My students deserve the opportunity to run down Mulberry Row feeling wild like Beverly, explore the orchards like Maddy, and spend a day following their curiosity and imagination like Eston.
This trip will bring history and literature to life in a way that inspires students to seek more connections between the past and the present. This visit will educate them on several factors that had a huge impact on US History: Thomas Jefferson, the economics of a plantation, and American slavery. Monticello has even offered us a scholarship to get in for free! As well as visiting Monticello, we will visit Ashlawn Highland, James Monroe's personal estate. We will also visit Michie's which has an Inn, restaurant, museum and general store that were operating in Thomas Jefferson's time and often served his guests.
The next day students will take an official tour of the University of Virginia and get a chance to see what college life is all about. All of them dream about going to college, and most will be first generation college students. It is crucial to take them to as many campuses as possible to allow them to picture themselves on in the college world. The ultimate goal of the entire trip is to give students a life-changing, powerful glimpse into both their past and their futures.
More than a third of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Clemson and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
