For most museum educators, summer means running camps. It always has for me. After two decades spent with young learners, first at the San Diego Zoo and later at La Jolla Playhouse, I naturally associate the season with children eager to learn. Then I came to the USS Midway Museum and discovered that our summer students look a little different. Here, the summer belongs to teachers.
When I joined the education department last year, my first day coincided with the opening of the Midway Institute for Teachers (MIT). Dozens of middle and high school teachers from across the country had just arrived for a week of intensive study. What struck me immediately wasn’t simply the quality of the program, but the museum’s commitment to the teachers. It was a powerful reminder that one of the most meaningful ways to educate and inspire future generations is to invest in the people who teach them.
Since 2009, MIT has welcomed educators for immersive professional development exploring pivotal moments in 20th-century history. This year’s participants represented communities across the United States, with educators also joining us from Ukraine and Australia—a reflection of the program’s growing reputation and reach. Some were first-time participants; others returned for our newest seminar, Breaking the Cold War: From Détente to Desert Storm, developed in response to teacher feedback.
The week begins with a Sunday evening welcome aboard Midway. By Monday morning, participants are exploring the ship before the Museum opens. Over five days, they complete more than 40 hours of learning, roughly equivalent to a university course, yet intentionally designed to be much more than a lecture series. Historical scholarship, experiential learning and curriculum integration are woven together into a single professional learning experience.
“The goal is to teach history in ways that encourage critical thinking about evidence, perspective and historical inquiry.”
Midway becomes the classroom.
The ship isn’t simply a backdrop; it’s one of the program’s primary teaching tools. Teachers move between classrooms and the spaces where history unfolded, connecting scholarship to place. Whether exploring the Battle of Midway or the ship’s service from the Vietnam War through Operation Desert Storm, they encounter history where it happened rather than studying it from a book.
Throughout the week, nationally recognized historians, curriculum specialists, veterans and Midway educators guide participants through topics ranging from the Pacific War to the Cold War and the Gulf War. Many scholars join us through our partnership with San Diego State University’s Center for War & Society, while others travel from universities nationwide. The conversations continue long after each lecture.
That’s one of my favorite parts of MIT. Around lunch tables overlooking San Diego Bay, historians, Midway staff and classroom teachers continue to talk not only about scholarship but also about students, teaching and how to make difficult history meaningful. By Friday, it’s hard to remember who arrived as strangers, because everyone has become a colleague.
Every lecture is paired with curriculum integration. Teachers immediately begin translating new scholarship into classroom-ready lessons, examining standards, sharing ideas and developing activities for their own students. The goal isn’t simply to learn more history. It’s to teach history in ways that encourage critical thinking about evidence, perspective and historical inquiry.
By week’s end, the impact is already visible. Teachers consistently describe the experience as transformative. One participant called the expanded discussion of China, Japan and the Philippines a game changer for her World War II curriculum. Others reflected that the week reminded them what it felt like to be students again—challenged, curious and energized by learning alongside colleagues who shared their passion for history.
The learning doesn’t end when the seminars conclude. This year, we launched
MIT: In Focus, a series of one-day professional learning experiences and a quarterly alumni newsletter to sustain the community formed aboard Midway. Continuous engagement and collaboration have become hallmarks of the program’s growth.
I’ve come to believe that MIT’s greatest measure of success isn’t the number of teachers who attend or even the 40 hours they spend aboard the ship. It’s what happens after they leave. Every conversation, lesson and new perspective developed aboard Midway eventually reaches another classroom. One week here can influence hundreds—sometimes thousands—of students over the course of a teacher’s career.
By investing in teachers, Midway extends its reach far beyond the flight deck. Every educator who returns home carries new scholarship, renewed curiosity and a deeper understanding of the human stories behind history. In doing so, the stories, scholarship and spirit of service found aboard Midway continue to educate and inspire future generations.
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