Illinois Civics Teacher Mentors

by Dr. Shawn Healy, Civic Learning Scholar, McCormick Foundation / Chair, Illinois Civic Mission Coalition


In order to support implementation of the new high school civics course requirement through the #CivicsIsBack campaign, the Illinois Civic Mission Coalition is recruiting teacher mentors representing every region of Illinois.

Mentors will receive training from local and national professional development providers with proven expertise in civic learning. Mentors, in turn, will co-facilitate two-day summer institutes for subscribing civics teachers in their respective regions. Mentors will also be responsible for ongoing engagement with teachers, schools, and districts in their assigned region throughout the school year that follows.

Mentors must have at least three years of experience teaching civics or government at the high school level in Illinois. This experience should include proficiency with instruction on government institutions, current and controversial issues discussions, service-learning and simulations of democratic processes. Both current and retired teachers will be considered.

While the deadline for applicants has passed, we are still seeking qualified candidates in the following regions/ counties:
  • Champaign/Ford
  • Clark/Coles/Cumberland/Douglas/Edgar/Moultrie/Shelby
  • Clay/Crawford/Jasper/Lawrence/Richland
  • Clinton/Jefferson/Marion/Washington
  • De Kalb
  • Edwards/Gallatin/Hamilton/Hardin/Pope/Saline/Wabash/Wayne/White
  • Franklin/Johnson/Massac/Williamson
  • Alexander/Jackson/Pulaski/Perry/Union
  • Iroquois/Kankakee
  • Henderson/Knox/Mercer/Warren
  • Peoria
  • Rock Island
  • Menard/Sangamon
  • Mason/Tazewell/Woodford

Interested candidates from these regions should complete this online application no later than March 15, 2016. Selected mentors will be notified by April 1, 2016

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Let's Talk About the "Required" Constitution Test

Image
by Mary Ellen Daneels, Lead Teacher Mentor As I have traveled around the state of Illinois to support implementation of the high school civics requirement and pending middle school civics legislation , one of the biggest concerns I have heard is, “How will we have time to prepare students for the required Constitution test? I will never have time to cover all 200 questions on the test if I have to make time for student-centered inquiry, discussions, simulations, and service learning!” The Illinois State Board of Education states: American patriotism and the principles of representative government, as enunciated in the American Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States of America and the Constitution of the State of Illinois, and the proper use and display of the American flag, shall be taught in all public schools and other educational institutions supported or maintained in whole or in part by public funds. No student shall receive a certificate
Read more

Resources to Respond to Tragedy and Violence

Image
by Mary Ellen Daneels, Civics Instructional Specialist All educators are civics teachers. Teachers send messages to students about power, justice, and representation by the content we select, the way we engage student voice, the norms we employ, and the stories included in our classroom. We have a responsibility to prioritize our students’ lived experiences, putting Maslow before Bloom , to inform the essential questions we address in our curriculum. When violence or tragedy occurs, classrooms provide a safe venue for students to process, ask questions and be given context to understand current events as they happen. While current events unfold, it is not the time to debate policy. Educators will not have all of the answers to the questions students pose. Teachers can create a classroom space where we can be present, listen, and create a safe environment for our students to do the same. Start with Reflection Your students may be wrestling with a range of emotions. We cannot assum
Read more

Strengthening School Climate through Inclusion

by Sue Khalaieff, Democracy Schools Network Manager Loyola University Chicago’s School of Education has been partnering with several Democracy Schools across the Chicago metropolitan area for the past two years to develop and implement strategies to strengthen school climate through inclusion. This cohort of schools worked closely with Loyola University to identify an intervention that each school wanted to explore and develop and implement an action plan and support each other to move forward. In our final session of the Civics Across the Curriculum series on April 22nd, 2021, participating schools shared their perspectives and learnings from the experience. View a recording of the session. To begin the session, Jon Schmidt , Clinical Assistant Faculty, Loyola University, provided some contextual framing for the cohort’s work by sharing components of multicultural education from James Banks : Inclusive curriculum Equity pedagogy Empowering school culture Knowledge constru
Read more