Summer Teacher Institutes

The Idaho Humanities Council hosted a weeklong summer teacher institute, July 20–24, 2026, at Boise State University and the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights, bringing together 20 K–12 educators from across the state. Like a well-crafted mix tape, this institute explored the dynamic history, culture, and civic transformations of the 1970s—a decade when the nation asked hard questions, pushed for change, and discovered that the times were indeed a-changin’.

Participants examined key events and themes from the American experience at home and abroad, including Watergate, the end of the Vietnam War, economic crises that left many stayin’ alive, environmental activism, Indigenous and civil rights movements, and expanding women’s and LGBTQ rights. Alongside political and social upheaval, the institute explored the era’s music, media, and pop culture—when artists urged Americans to imagine new possibilities and reminded them that what’s going on mattered deeply. Together, educators considered how the struggles, creativity, and hopes of the 1970s continue to shape society today—proof that it has been a long, strange trip, and one still unfolding.

Through lectures, primary source analysis, discussion, and hands-on classroom strategies, teachers deepened their understanding of this complex decade while gaining practical tools for the classroom. Participants engaged with multiple perspectives and voices, learning how to help students make sense of a time when the nation was learning to fly amid uncertainty and change.

Humanities scholars across the state presented including Dulce Kersting-Lark, University of Idaho; Justin Vipperman, College of Southern Idaho; Sarah Robey, Idaho State University; Brenna Miller, Washington State University; Rachel Miller, College of Idaho; Shaun Nichols, Boise State University; Jill Gill, Boise State University; and Cindy Wilson, education consultant. 

By the end of the week, educators left with enhanced historical knowledge, classroom-ready resources, and a professional network—ready to help students see how the past speaks to the present, because we are family when it comes to teaching the humanities and connecting history to today’s world.

Questions?  Please contact Johanna Bringhurst, Associate Director, at johanna@idahohumanities.org.