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“Watch the kids. Do like they do. Act like they act. Yell like they yell. Dance the ways you see them dance. Sing like they sing. Work and rest the way the kids do.
You’ll be healthier. You’ll feel wealthier. You’ll talk wiser. You’ll go higher, do better, and live longer here amongst us if you’ll just only jump in here and swim around in these songs and do like the kids do.
I don’t want the kids to be grown up. I want to see the grown folks be kids.” — Woody Guthrie
Woody Guthrie was born to humble beginnings, but he didn’t let that stop him from making a difference. That’s the lesson everyone should take away from the Woody Guthrie Center. Not only does the center teach others about the artist’s life and work, but it also highlights him as an example of the potential in all of us.
Woody’s Classroom
A one-stop shop for educational materials, Woody’s Classroom offers lesson plans and activities to teach students about Woody, his music, and the historical context of his work.
Woody’s Workshop
Woody’s Workshop encourages young musicians ages 12-18 to think independently, work cooperatively, and discover their own creativity.
As an educational facility, the Woody Guthrie Center encourages creativity. Field trips to the center inspire students to use their creativity to demonstrate true learning and understanding of their world.
Educators face many challenges, so the center makes resources available to educators and students for free. The staff enjoys customizing the many lessons available at the center to your curriculum.
To begin a discussion about scheduling a free field trip to the Woody Guthrie Center for your students, please complete the questionnaire in the visit scheduling tool at the link below.
We kindly request this information be provided at least 2 weeks prior to a scheduled visit.
An education representative will contact you to schedule a pre-visit meeting to discuss your needs and answer any questions you may have.
Through generous support from Williams, we are offering Title 1 schools transportation assistance for field trips.
Note: At this time, this is for Title 1 schools in the Tulsa Public Schools district.
If you qualify and are interested, please indicate while filling out the scheduler and more information will be provided.
As we work to strengthen the center’s role as a partner of the educational community, we value any feedback on what you would like to see from future visits. Please fill out the following survey to help guide our curriculum development and staff training.
Kendrea is the Expanded Learning Coordinator from Hawthorne and Anderson Elementary Schools.
Ms. Greene is a proud graduate of Tulsa Public Schools and member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. She began her career in education in 2003. She has worked with students who are incarcerated, the big brothers and big sisters program, teens who are in foster care, student parents.
When asked about Ms. Greene, her colleagues have said she has an energy for helping youth that is unmatched. She pours passion into her work, on behalf of her students and families and it is inspiring. Her can-do spirit and sunny disposition are infectious.
Elmer is the Expanded Learning Administrator from Monroe Demonstration Academy.
Mr. Thomas hails from Kansas City, Kansas. He began teaching 4th grade in KC before moving to Tulsa in 1996 where over the course of his careers has taught 5th grade, served in administrative roles at Cooper Elementary, Jackson Elementary, Unity Learning Academy until he accepted the position as Climate and Culture position at Monroe and eventually his current position of Expanded Learning Administrator.
According to his colleagues, Mr. Thomas is dedicated, kind and steadfastly committed to advancing unique opportunities for the students at his school. He has a vast knowledge of child development and best practices for programs to provide meaningful experiences for his students to participate. He is the calm in the storm that is middle school.
Stephen has just completed his 11th year of teaching. Stephen is currently teaching US History, AP US History and American Music History, which is a class he developed. He has also taught Humanities and Broadcasting. He serves on the summer item review/writing committees for the Oklahoma Department of Education.
He has previously taught at Bartlesville High School, where he won the Rising Star Teacher of the Year in 2014. Stephen is the advisor for the PRISM club, a student-led group for LGBTQ+ students and their allies.
Stephen has visited our centers several times and has brought classes during both semesters of the school year. He is an advocate for his students, creating a safe space for them.
Nate holds a bachelor’s degree in English and multiethnic studies from the University of Nebraska and a Master’s degree in English and Cultural Studies from Kansas State University.
During his education career, he has taught at a variety of public and private high schools, as well as Tulsa community college and Kansas State University. He is a past recipient of the Rudd/WLA K-12 teaching award for curricular design from the Western Literature Association, the Poet-Warrior award from the Oklahoma Literary Arts Alliance for his work promoting youth poetry initiatives and is a lifetime member of the Sigma Tau Delta National honor society for English. He served for years as chair of the English department at Holland Hall School.
His proudest achievements are the many student-poets he has had the chance to teach and coach as part of the Louder Than A Bomb national youth poetry SLAM program.
Nathan visits the centers regularly with his students. Nate is currently in administration at Street School.