CHICAGO – This summer, Illinois’ best teachers will be rewarded for their hard work with a program designed and sponsored by the Illinois Humanities Council (IHC). The “True Learning, True Teaching” program is designed to reward the state’s finest teachers with opportunities for further learning and intellectual renewal. Each seminar contains a humanities focus, is interdisciplinary in scope, and is led by a prominent humanist scholar from a local college or university. 20 to 25 teachers will be selected to attend each of the all-expenses paid seminars. The IHC will provide tuition, lodging, meals and program materials for seminar participants. The deadline for this year’s applicants is May 1, 2004.
Any Illinois K-12 teacher who has taught for at least one year and currently is employed in an Illinois school is welcome to apply. The IHC especially encourages applications from teachers who have recently joined the profession. Teachers interested in one of the seminars may request an application by calling the IHC at 312.422.5580, emailing ihc@prairie.org or writing to: Illinois Humanities Council, 203 N Wabash, Suite 2020, Chicago, IL 60601. Applications, as well as further information on the seminars, can also be found on the IHC website, www.prairie.org, by clicking on “Teachers Seminars” under “Programs.”
This summer’s five seminars provide a natural and idyllic setting in which to learn. Participants can choose from one of the following seminars:
*June 20-25: Mother Earth? Virgin Land?: Women, Nature, and Writing; Starved Rock State Park, Utica, Illinois; Diana Swanson, Northern Illinois University
*June 20-25: Caught in the Crucible: America in the Great Depression; Starved Rock State Park, Utica, Illinois; Judith Everson, University of Illinois at Springfield
July 11-16: Cosmology and Humanity: How Astronomical Theories Have Shaped Views of Human Nature; The Conference Center at the University of Saint Mary of the Lake, Mundelein, Illinois; Dennis Temple, Roosevelt University (This seminar is presented in partnership with the Boeing Company).
*July 25-30: Changing Places: Literature and Globalization; Starved Rock State Park, Utica, Illinois; Zohreh Sullivan, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
*July 25-30: “I Will Be Heard!”: The Anti-Slavery Movement in the US and the Midwest; Starved Rock State Park, Utica, Illinois; Stacey Robertson, Bradley University
*(These seminars run concurrently).
“Teachers feel that the Illinois Humanities Council is allowing them to grow and learn, both as educators and as people,” said Clark Halker, Senior Program Officer with the IHC. “One teacher raved, ‘This was far superior to most of the seminars or workshops that I have attended. It was just for us – for our personal growth. What a concept!’”
In addition to providing intellectual renewal, the seminars succeed in assembling a diverse group of teachers from various academic disciplines and various regions of the state in a retreat atmosphere. Teachers selected for the seminars will also have the opportunity to visit historical sites and participate in field trips and nature walks. Although the “True Learning, True Teaching” seminars are dedicated to “learning for the sake of learning,” participants will be eligible for Continuing Education Units (CEUs).
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