A Fresh Perspective on Teaching History and Honoring Veterans

Kristin Singleton joins us to share her innovative approach at the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum. Discover how she combines history with STEM to create engaging and educational experiences. Kristin's journey from Armstrong State to becoming the HSTEM coordinator highlights her commitment to making history relevant and accessible. Supported by the Cynthia Lake Foundation, her work is setting a new standard for teaching history in Chatham County and beyond. 

Transcript

Devin Pintozzi: 0:06

This podcast Spotlight for Success, is our way of highlighting the incredible success stories happening in education right here in our home state of Georgia. Today we're thrilled to be joined by Kristin Singleton, who has made a significant impact in the field of social studies education through her work with the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum outside of Savannah. We'll be exploring her journey, insights and positive changes she's creating for students and teachers in her work.

Devin Pintozzi: 0:35

So let's get started.

Kristin Singleton: 0:36

Yes, I do work at the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force but we can absolutely just call it the Mighty Eighth. For the rest of it, no problem?

Devin Pintozzi: 0:45

Yes, great. So tell us a bit about yourself. You know how did you start and how did you end up working with the Museum of the Mighty Eighth.

Kristin Singleton: 0:54

Thank you. So I went to Armstrong State, which is now part of Georgia Southern in Savannah, Georgia, for my undergrad in history and while I was there I started volunteering as part of the Mighty Eighth and I just really grew attached to like their story. What were they trying to do? And then, when I graduated school and went into my master's program and started focusing on public history specifically, I have a major passion for education, specifically in the museum field. And how can museums aid teachers? How can museums work with students? So my specialty has always been working in student programming. And what can we provide teachers inside the museum?

Devin Pintozzi: 1:35

That is wonderful. Yeah, and I understand your role is you're the HSTEM coordinator, is that right?

Kristin Singleton: 1:40

Yes, hstem educator. So history and STEM. So the idea is that recently we have received a wonderful grant through the Cynthia Lake Foundation and this is providing us an opportunity to expand our educational programming, and the focus is including the interdisciplinary work between history and STEM, which is one of the things that our county, Chatham County, is actually working on trying to do. A lot of is this interdisciplinary work, so that's why we're starting it, but the hope is that we can expand this throughout the state.

Devin Pintozzi: 2:13

Wow, that is wonderful work. It's the first time I've heard of history plus STEM. So I'm really interested in finding out more about that. Now you're here at the Georgia Council of Social Studies. Yes, so, Kristin, what are you hoping to get out of this experience here this weekend?

Kristin Singleton: 2:31

This is the first time that a lot of teachers are hearing about us, and that is okay. The idea is that we want this as an opportunity to start talking about H-7 and having teachers think about it, and we have had teachers that have swung by our booth and have said that, oh, that's really interesting. I didn't know that there was anything like this, but they realization struck that they've been looking for this program and we're one of the first peoples, at least in this state, to provide something like that, so this is really exciting for us.

Devin Pintozzi: 2:57

That's wonderful. I had just heard from Dr Rhonda, who spoke about her passion for place-based education and it seems like this is part of that work.

Kristin Singleton: 3:06

This is. So The 8th Air Force was formed during World War II. It was formed on January 28, 1942 in Savannah, Georgia. So the 8th Air Force is actually a massive part of Georgia's military history, which is part of some of the Georgia standards as well. So we are very integral to that. And the Eighth Air Force flew during World War II and was significant in the role of the war. So this is something that a lot of students- there's a lot of interest in World War II, but they might not have heard of this story specifically. So it's an engaging story. It's interesting, it is place-based because we are right near where we started and it's just, and now we are exploring history through a new way by looking at history through this STEM lens. Students are very interested in it.

Devin Pintozzi: 3:59

That's wonderful. You know we thank our military for their service. This is an opportunity to understand their service and really that sacrifice and those gifts that they gave to all of us.

Kristin Singleton: 4:08

Absolutely, and remembrance is a part of our mission. So we do want to remember our World War II veterans, our 8th Air Force veterans specifically. The 8th Air Force actually lost 26,000 men during the war. It was an incredibly deadly portion of the war. They were the first men to really be involved in the physical conflict of the war and, the early parts of the war were so dangerous. The men were assigned 25 missions and the likelihood of making it past the 13th mission was less than 25% at the beginning of the war. So most of the men that started the war ended up as POWs or KIA. So it's really again very pivotal part of the story and ultimately the efforts of the 8th Air Force led to the D-Day invasion and the costly but the successful mission of the D-Day invasion, which is again another Georgia standard so it's just the 8th Air Force is really an interesting way to weave and weave into social studies history.

Devin Pintozzi: 5:12

That is wonderful. Well, Kristen, thank you so much for coming on with us here at ABC Spotlight for Success and being part of the Georgia Council for Social Studies.

Kristin Singleton: 5:21

Thanks for interviewing.

Devin Pintozzi: 5:23

Thank you. I hope you have a successful conference and look forward to you presenting next year.

Kristin Singleton: 5:27

I'm really hoping, I'm really excited to be here next year.

Kristin Singleton: 5:30

Thank you guys,

Devin Pintozzi: 5:31

Thank you All right bye.