Matt Vriesman and Brian Bolt (Week 1)
Matt Vriesman and Brian Bolt
You can find Calvin grad Matt Vriesman '07 teaching history in an East Kentwood High School classroom. His teaching methods may look different, but they've captured the hearts and minds of hundreds of kids. This has earned him high honors as not only the Michigan History Teacher of the Year, but also the National History Teacher of the Year. Dean of Education Brian Bolt sits down with Vriesman to discuss how he shares his love of history to the current generation. This lecture is only online.
Matt Vriesman was named the 2023 National History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Vriesman graduated from Calvin College in 2007 and teaches AP US History, AP World History, and the AP African American Studies pilot course at East Kentwood High School, the 4th most diverse district in the United States. Vriesman has been teaching for 16 years, including four years teaching abroad in South Korea and Kuwait. He devolved AntiracistAPUSH.com based on his graduate research in American history, citing the unacceptable gap between leading historical scholarship and standard high school history texts, specifically in the portrayals of Black histories. Vriesman believes that history education can empower all students to realize their own agency and therefore elevate their voices and strengthen our democratic institutions. Vriesman has partnered with the Grand Rapids Public Museum, Immigration History Initiative, and the Zinn Education Project.
Brian Bolt is the Dean of the School of Education and Men’s Golf Coach at Calvin University. In his dean role, Bolt develops and directs accredited elementary and secondary undergraduate teacher certification pathways and graduate programs that serve teachers locally and globally. Bolt’s research in teacher and coach development, play education, and Christian perspectives on sport and Christianity has made him a sought-after voice on the topic locally and internationally. Bolt is the author the book Sport Faith Life, and he runs a podcast and blog by the same name (sportfaithlife.com). Bolt has served as head coach of the men’s golf team at Calvin University for the past 20 season, and his teams have earned multiple conference titles and trips to the D3 NCAA Championships.
About Us
Our Mission
The January Series cultivates deep thought and conversations about important issues of the day in order to inspire cultural renewal and make us better global citizens in God's world.
Background
For over 30 years, the January Series of Calvin University has been one of the leading lecture/cultural arts series in the country. The series has been a three-time recipient of the Silver Bowl Award as the “Best Campus Lecture Series in the U.S.A.” by the International Platform Society. The diversity of presenters and topics has changed as the world of ideas has changed.
The foundation for excellence both in the classroom at Calvin University and at the January Series is the philosophy that an outstanding liberal arts education teaches students how to think, not what to think. We want our students to look at current ideas critically in light of history and creatively with an eye to the future. We support freedom of speech and expression; we encourage faculty, students and the community to listen to viewpoints that differ from their own. Bringing excellent speakers on a wide variety of topics to campus is one very valuable factor of education at Calvin.
Calvin University is a Christian academic community dedicated to rigorous intellectual inquiry. Located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Calvin has an enrollment of 3,800 curious and inquisitive students. The dynamic liberal arts university has been named a “Best College” by U.S. News & World Report, Forbes, The Fisk Guide, The Princeton Review and Washington Monthly. A Calvin education, marked by scholarly engagement with enduring questions and emerging concerns, prepares students to answer God’s call to live and serve in God’s world as agents of renewal.