Retro Report’s Council of Educators arrived to New York City last week for three days of workshopping lesson plans, Q&As with filmmakers and a sunset dinner cruise on the Hudson River. The group comprises 25 secondary school teachers from across the country who advise Retro Report on resources for classrooms. At the summit, teachers heard updates on Retro Report’s plans for the fall semester, pitched new resources and shared how they use Retro Report videos in their classrooms. 

The summit began with the introduction of Retro Report programming for the coming months, including “Citizen Nation,” a new four-episode series that will air in October on PBS.

Nicole Frazer, a humanities teacher at Jefferson High School in Rockford, Ill., was enthusiastic about Retro Report’s Spanish translations, available for a growing number of lesson plans. “My building is 30 to 40 percent bilingual, so now I can start sharing more of those resources,” she said. 

Educators began the day on Thursday with a resource workshop that offered new ways to incorporate Retro Report lesson plans into their classrooms. They worked together on lessons that foster dialogue surrounding Retro Report documentaries. 

Retro Report Council of Educator’s Nicole Frazer, Vashawn Daniels, David Kendrick, Fabian Carballo, and Sam Futrell work together to create lesson plans that will accompany Retro Report documentaries at a meeting at Retro Report’s New York newsroom. (Photo: Alex Remnick)

David Olson, Retro Report’s director of education, spoke about the benefits of collaborating with teachers. “Being able to put your ideas in front of other talented educators is such a powerful process,” he said. “Every lesson was improved through discussion and exposure to different perspectives. We also had a number of teachers who are teaming up to create additional resources and interactive tools. This is what’s possible when you bring amazing educators together and let them know you value their expertise.”

Teachers were present for the announcement that the nonprofit had earned two Emmy Award nominations. Later, Joseph Hogan, a producer, led a Q&A on his film about Fred Korematzu, a Japanese American who appealed his internment during World War II to the Supreme Court. Educators got a glimpse of Retro Report’s production process and heard why filmmakers valued their stories being presented in high school and college classrooms. They rounded out the day with a sunset cruise on the Hudson River. 

Council of Educators members Brande Johnson, Jennifer Klein, Nicole Frazer and Rebecca Smart attended a cruise on the Hudson River. (Photo: Jennifer Klein)

Dr. Jeremy Wang, a science educator from St. Paul, Minn., said the highlight of the session was the Q&A session with Hogan. “Hearing about the thoroughness and high-quality work that goes into each Retro Report film was incredibly eye-opening,” he said.

Are you interested in becoming a member of Retro Report’s Council of Educators? Applications for our Teacher Advisory Groups will be available in December. Subscribe to our educator newsletter to be notified when applications open. 

DAGMAR ROTHSCHILD is an education intern at Retro Report. She is an undergraduate at Georgetown, studying International Relations.

You can subscribe to Retro Report’s education newsletter here and view past newsletters here.