Five-Star Spotlight is an ongoing interview series with the researchers, supporters, interns, volunteers, and leaders who make the George C. Marshall Foundation possible.
In this installment, Director of Communications and Multimedia Glen J. Carpenter talks with Jessica Arnold, a teacher at Chesterfield County Public Schools in Virginia, about her experience as a Marshall Foundation Scholar, her time at the 2024 Summer Marshall Foundation Teachers Institute, and why Marshall matters to students in the 21st century.
Jessica Arnold prepares to present her lesson plan at the July 2024 George C. Marshall Foundation Teachers Institute
Glen: Could you tell our readers a little bit about yourself and your work?
Jessica Arnold: Certainly. My name is Jessica Arnold, and I have taught seventh and eighth grade social studies in Chesterfield County for close to 20 years. I mainly teach gifted students in the Center Based Gifted program, and it’s been mostly U.S history, civics and economics.
Glen: What made you interested in pursuing teaching as a career?
Jessica Arnold: Well, I loved history, and there is a finite amount of things that you can do with it. You can be a docent, you can go into research and things like that. But it struck me in my junior or senior year of college to be a teacher, inspire kids, and light a fire in them about history.
Glen: Was there a specific teacher who was a catalyst for that?
Jessica Arnold: Absolutely. I had two history teachers in high school. One was my AP U.S. history teacher and another was just a U.S. history teacher. I loved their approach to teaching. I love their style of teaching, and it made me want to learn more. It really struck. They kept my attention, which, you know, as a teenager is a difficult thing to do. Even into college, my history teachers became my heroes in that regard, which is how I found out about the Marshall Scholars program.
Glen: Let’s talk about that a little bit. Before you found out about the Marshall Scholars program, did you have any conception of George C. Marshall as a historical figure?
Jessica Arnold: I had heard about him in my college survey courses in history. I learned more about him when I took my military history course. But I would say that I really didn’t know until I came here and learned more about him. I knew him in passing, but the Scholars program and Teachers Institute really helped deepen my knowledge about him.
Glen: How did you become involved with the Marshall Scholars program?
Jessica Arnold: I look back on my college career as an upperclassman, and I was always in the history building. I was always there talking to teachers. I was studying. I was a constant history nerd. It came up in conversation with one of my professors that they thought that I would be a good candidate for the Marshall Scholars program. So I looked into it and that’s all she wrote—I was in.
Glen: And what was your topic?
Jessica Arnold: My topic was the Bikini Atoll tests.
Glen: Oh, interesting.
Jessica Arnold: So fascinating. In 1946, you know, moving an indigenous population off of the atoll and conducting nuclear tests in the atmosphere, at the ocean level and even underneath the ocean, to test the strength of our naval vessels against an atomic bomb. I find it remarkable. I tell my kids we dropped those bombs, not knowing what would happen, and then playing catch up for a few years to figure it out. It was tough to choose, but I’m glad I picked it.
Jessica Arnold during a field trip to the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Virginia
Glen: What has your experience been like here at the Teachers Institute?
Jessica Arnold: Oh, my gosh, I love it. I get to be a student again. I gobble this stuff up, and it helps me sharpen my tools in my toolbox to be an educator. It helps me learn more, because that’s the thing I love about history—you can always learn more and you can always change your perspective. You can always deepen your understanding. And I try to convey that to my students. Being among colleagues and other professionals who have that same passion, you know, we bounce ideas off of one another. It’s just such a lovely experience all around. You get to be with people who champion George C. Marshall and hear from other college professors—it’s a lovely thing. Let alone the field trips.
Glen: What has been your favorite aspect of the Teachers Institute so far?
Jessica Arnold: I’ve got to be honest—again, I’m a consummate nerd—I think the lectures are the best part: taking the notes and going back and adding them to my lessons that I already have, or creating new lessons, and just making it a richer story is, is really what I draw from in these sessions.
Glen: What do you hope to impart to your students in Chesterfield County Public Schools as a result of your work at the Teachers Institute?
Jessica Arnold: I think George C. Marshall’s character is unparalleled—I thought I knew, but I really didn’t know. We live in a society where young people are so self-focused with social media. Getting them to look at a man who gave his life so selflessly for the good of his country and the greater good of the people in the world is quite a lovely thing. Those kinds of people often don’t get the headlines and the accolades because they don’t seek it out. Telling his story and taking his character as an example is important for young people to hear.
Glen: Why does Marshall matter to students in the 21st century?
Jessica Arnold: Do you want the real answer? There are a lot of things to be scared about in our world today, whether it’s our political climate, people’s apathy, let’s take your pick. I just feel like there are lessons to be learned from him. We all need heroes, and we all need people to admire and to say, “oh, I wish I was more like that.” You know, a catalyst for self-reflection and growth. That’s a really important thing. And, I wish we had more people like him in our world.
Glen began working at the George C. Marshall Foundation in 2018 with a background in American studies and video production. He lives in Roanoke, Virginia.