Before we gear up for the Teaching & Learning Celebration, my department at Thirteen, the LAB (it stands for “Life After Broadcast”. . .we handle educational and community outreach) is embarking on what we’re calling “World Tour 2008.”

Actually, it’s not a “world” tour. More of a national tour. In the next four weeks, LAB staff members will be fanning out across the country leading professional development workshops focused on Thirteen’s upcoming series AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES 2. Educators in eight different cities will be participating in workshops focused on using the series, Web site, and local resources in the classroom. Each workshop will also shine the spotlight on local African American history resources.

The only fly in the ointment is that all of these workshops will be happening in the depths of winter. And they happen in places like Detroit. And Cleveland. And St. Louis. Not exactly your standard garden spots at the end of January and early February. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that global warming will be on our side and we’ll be able to get everywhere we’re going.

If you aren’t in a city where an AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES 2 session is taking place (and sorry, folks, the New York City event is packed to the rafters), you can still access lesson plans and educational resources at www.pbs.org/aalives2. Who knows, maybe our PBS station reps will be using the Web site when our staff is snowbound somewhere in the Midwest!