Christine MacGregor

2025 Yale and Slavery Teachers Institute Cohort Member

At Guilford High School (Guilford, CT) we pride ourselves on challenging students to become lifelong learners who value academic excellence, cultural awareness and social responsibility. Over my 21 years of teaching American History, I have tailored my teaching methods to include more diverse subjects so that all my students see themselves reflected in my classroom. I embrace teaching history so that students are challenged to honor the achievements and recognize the challenges faced by all Americans.
As a member of this cohort, I hope to increase my ability to teach the history of slavery in New England. Though a less studied part of American history, it is vital for us to understand the role of northerners in this very American institution. I want to emphasize the northern emancipation movements during the early republic. We also cannot forget how, even after freeing their own slaves, northerners shaped and supported southern slavery. I hope to find new resources and methods to engage students in this important work. I’d also like to find ways to connect the slavery sites in Guilford to my curriculum and make the study of slavery more relevant to my students.