THE STUDIOUS TYPE—Teacher Victor Anderson earned a trip to Washington, D.C., and the Library of Congress in a program that will allow him to better use the library’s resources in class. To pursue his love of Civil War history, teacher Victor Anderson now has the nation’s top library at his fingertips.

Anderson, a history and government teacher at Oak Park High School, was selected from a large pool of applicants to participate in the recent Teaching with Primary Sources Summer Institute sponsored by the U.S. Library of Congress.

The five-day program was held in Washington, D.C., from July 11 to 15 and provided Anderson and select kindergartenthrough 12th-grade teachers with the opportunity to attend one of seven teacher institutes. Anderson was chosen to participate in the Civil War program.

“I love to learn, and the program looked very interesting and useful for my students,” Anderson said about his desire to apply for the program. “I was humbled to have been one of the 25 selected to my session,” he said.

The use of “primary sources” in history or government classes means having students read, analyze discuss and critique the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, the Federalist Papers and other unique docu- ments, Anderson said.

Regarding the classes he teaches, Anderson said, “We use videos, pictures and documents from Library of Congress in most of our units, especially when covering the Civil War, World War I, and World War II.”

Anderson already uses the famous documents to help him teach Civil War history, but says the new insights he’s gained from the Library of Congress will help make his classroom study plan more interesting. The idea is to “spur student engagement, develop critical thinking skills, and build content knowledge,” he said.

In addition, Anderson will create a professional development session for Oak Park teachers on how to creatively use the Library of Congress archives.

“These archives are the largest in the world and span all subject matters,” he said.

Superintendent Tony Knight recommended Anderson for the program.

“Victor understands teaching and learning,” Knight wrote to the institute’s selection committee. “He works to make learning hands-on, minds-on, experiential, and real world for his students. I have hired, supervised, and evaluated hundreds of teachers in my career in education, and it is with confidence and without reservation that I would name Victor one of those top 1 percent of teachers. He is a credit to our profession.”

Anderson, 47, has been a resident of Oak Park for 18 years. In addition to earning Bachelor of Arts degrees in history and Russian studies from the University of California, he earned a master’s degree in education and a law degree.

Anderson worked as a commercial carpenter and real estate attorney before entering the teaching profession 11 years ago, a career move that spoke to his real calling in life .

“I love being around young adults who are beginning to mature,” he said, adding that he enjoys inspiring thinking and critical questioning in his students.

Established in 1800, the Library of Congress is the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution and a preeminent reservoir of knowledge that provides a multitude of resources to Congress and the American people.

The library serves the public, scholars, members of Congress and their staff. Many of the library’s resources and treasures are accessible through the library’s website at www.loc.gov.