CHICAGO – This summer the Illinois Humanities Council again will recognize the state’s outstanding k-12 teachers, counselors and librarians during its “True Learning, True Teaching” seminar program. Now in its 10th season, the week-long experience is designed to reward the state’s finest educators 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. Twenty to 25 educators will be selected to attend each of the all-expenses paid seminars. The IHC provides tuition, lodging, meals and program materials for seminar participants. The deadline for this year’s applicants is April 15, 2006.
Any Illinois K-12 teacher, librarian or counselor who has been employed for at least one year and is currently employed in an Illinois school is welcome to apply. The IHC especially encourages applications from educators who have recently joined the profession.
Educators 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 “True Learning, True Teaching Seminars” under “Educational Programs and Grants.” 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).
This summer’s three seminars provide natural and idyllic settings in which to learn. Participants can choose from one of the following seminars:
- June 25-30: What Price Progress: the State and Fate of Our Species; Will Pestle, The Field Museum; Conference Center of the University of St. Mary of the Lake, Mundelein
- * July 23-28: Framing Nature: the History of Outdoor Photography; Mark Pohlad, DePaul University; Starved Rock State Park, Utica
- * July 23-28: Post-Millennium Main Street: American Town Life in the 21st Century; Chad Rohman, Dominican University; Starved Rock State Park, Utica
*(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 commented, ‘This was far superior to most of the seminars or workshops that I have attended. It was just for us — for our personal growth.’”
In addition to providing intellectual renewal, the seminars succeed in assembling a diverse group of educators from various academic disciplines and various regions of the state in a retreat atmosphere. Those selected for the seminars will also have the opportunity to visit historical sites and participate in field trips and nature walks.
The Illinois Humanities Council is a nonprofit educational organization [501 (c) 3] dedicated to fostering a culture in which the humanities are a vital part of the lives of individuals and communities. Organized in 1973 as the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the IHC creates programs and funds organizations that promote greater understanding of, appreciation for, and involvement in the humanities. The IHC is supported by state, federal, and private funds.
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