Erin Allard is rooted in history: School teacher is always learning
by Sarah Barr
Staff Writer
Erin Allard was born to be a history teacher. Growing up in Old Wethersfield got her hooked on the subject.
“I had 18th Century history in my backyard,” she said. “In Wethersfield just turn around and something historic is right behind you.”
For her, that was the Webb Deane Stevens Museum and Wethersfield Historical Society.
As the daughter of a teacher and a Historic District Commission member, there was plenty of encouragement. This self-proclaimed “history nerd” had education in her DNA. Even in her Hamner School days, she loved historic field trips.
“I’d read every marker,” she recalled.
This 2005 graduate of Wethersfield High School still bumps into her teachers, who never doubted her i for living and breathing in an endless encyclopedic knowledge. Although she went to Clemson University and began her teaching career in Greenville, S.C., Allard always remained a proud New Englander.
The mother of two young children is now a history teacher for sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students at St. Thomas the Apostle School in West Springfield, Mass. She hopes to return to public education in Connecticut, ideally Wethersfield.
After being away for 20 years, she and her family just bought a historic (1750) home in “Ye Most Ancient Towne.” Add to that, after trying for three years, she just hit a history trifecta.
She was selected to attend three of the nation’s most prestigious historical programs this summer. They are the teacher institutes at Mount Vernon, N.Y., Colonial Williamsburg and Monticello, both in Virginia.
“Selection for these institutes is highly competitive and I am honored to represent our town at these landmark sites. My passion for this work is a direct product of growing up in Old Wethersfield,” she said.
She calculated her odds of hitting this educational triple crown.
“One percent chance to get all three. They get applications from all over and it keeps increasing, especially with America 250. Monticello alone only takes 30 [15 each session].”
This is not her first big score. In the past, she has taken part in workshops in Gettysburg, Penn., where she ran into another person from Wethersfield, and they could spout history that other towns, cities and states can only dream about.
“In Wethersfield and New England as a whole, we don’t just treat history as something that happened far away. We live in it every single day. Our region was the engine of so much early American thought and action,” Allard said.
“The strategy that ultimately won the Revolutionary War was engineered right here in town during the historic 1781 conference between Gen. George Washington and the Comte de Rochambeau at the Webb House. From that critical alliance to the Lexington alarm that sent Connecticut militia marching north, New England didn’t just participate in the Revolution, we sustained it.”
The timing this go-around is everything especially regarding America 250. Allard calls this a “full-circle moment” to put her hometown’s historic district in the spotlight.
“I am thrilled to carry the banner for Connecticut and Massachusetts history on a national stage and share our deep regional pride with historians and educators from all over the map,” she said.
Plus, the educational opportunity was perfect as Allard immersed herself in keeping history relevant for today’s students. For her, this means hands-on, engaging events like burying a time capsule and holding a birthday party for America.
She hopes the lessons of history stay with them as they did with her.
“Our country has always been a work in progress – the Great Experiment. We’re trying to progress,” she said.
“Ultimately, being ‘Ye Most Ancient Towne’ comes with a profound civic responsibility. True historical inquiry means looking honestly at our origins to see how we can better live up to the ideals of the Declaration of Independence in the next 250 years.
“Wethersfield’s history encapsulates the full complexity of the early American narrative, reminding us that the American Experiment has always relied on collaboration, diplomacy and the ability to bring diverse perspectives together to achieve a monumental goal of a better tomorrow for generations to come,” she added.
While Allard influences her students, she never stops learning herself. She recently was hired to be a tour guide at the Webb Deane Stevens Museum.
“I love it so far. It’s very helpful. Our home is from the 1750s so I’m learning so much about preservation. I can even answer my own personal questions about things like paint color and roof materials,” she said. WL