CHICAGO - This summer, Illinois' best teachers will be rewarded for their hard work with a program designed and sponsored by the Illinois Humanities Council. Created six years ago by the Illinois Humanities Council, the "True Learning, True Teaching" program is designed to reward the stateís 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. Twenty to twenty-five teachers will be selected to attend each of the all-expenses paid seminars. The deadline for this yearís applicants is May 1, 2002.

This summerís five seminars provide a natural and idyllic setting in which to learn. Participants can choose from one of the following seminars:

* June 16-21: Trekking Through Time: Archeology and the Lower Illinois River Valley; Center for American Archeology, Kampsville, Staff/Mary Perkl

NOTE: This seminar requires hiking and other physical activity. Accommodations (dormitory) are more "rustic" than at other seminars.

*July 14-19: Exploring the Pleistocene Mind: The Invention of Modern Human Beings; Starved Rock State Park, Utica; Professor Charles Schweighauser, University of Illinois-Springfield

*July 14-19: Utopias: Illinois, America and the World; Starved Rock State Park, Utica; Professors Steve Schwark and William Siles, University of Illinois-Springfield

*July 21-26: An Illinois Poetic: Reading and Writing the Poetry of Place; Starved Rock State Park, Utica; Professor Lucia Cordell Getsi, Illinois State University

*July 21-26: Islam: the Fundamentals; Starved Rock State Park, Utica; Professor Robert Seibert, Knox College
*(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. Tuition, lodging, meals and program materials are provided by the IHC. 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).

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. Teachers interested in one of the seminars should call or write the Illinois Humanities Council for an application. Applications also can be found on the IHC website at www.prairie.org.

Illinois Humanities Council
203 North Wabash, Suite 2020
Chicago, IL 60601-2417

Applications are due May 1, 2001. For more information about the "True Learning, True Teaching" seminars, please call 312.422.5580.

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