Ten Years of the Summer Teachers Institute
If you ask the education department at the JMM, they will tell you that the end of the summer is officially over after the Summer Teachers Institute (STI) takes place in early August. For the past 10 years, the Jewish Museum of Maryland and the Baltimore Jewish Council have partnered in planning this annual event. We just finished up another successful program, Holocaust Remembrance Through the Arts, the 10th Annual Summer Teachers Institute in early August.
A lot of planning goes into this program each year. While initially conceived in 2006 as a two day program, our annual Summer Teachers Institute has expanded to encompass three full days. The planning staff from the JMM and BJC meets throughout the year to conceptualize and develop the program. It takes quite a bit of phone calls and meetings to organize this event. This year the program took place at Beth El Congregation, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and the JMM.
This year’s program with 43 people in attendance was one of our largest in recent years. While we did engage repeat participants, the majority of registrants (29) were first time attendees. We appreciated having the opportunity to introduce the JMM to so many educators, many of whom indicated an interest in returning with their students.
The following is a breakdown of attendance:
19 public schools (14 Baltimore City, 3 Baltimore County, 1 Harford County, 1 Frederick County)
7 Catholic school
1 Independent school
3 college professors (Towson)
2 retired Baltimore City teachers
1 homeschool teacher
4 Jewish congregational school
2 students (1 college, 1 middle school who attended with her mother)
4 community leaders (including two JMM volunteers)
Total: 43 participants
The Summer Teacher’s Institute has been such an important education initiative and professional development opportunity for educators over the past 10 years and it is interesting to see just how this program has impacted teachers and the community over the past ten years.
Total Number of Teachers Participating in STI for the past 10 years – 429
Total Number of Presenters Participating in STI for the past 10 years – 86
Total Number of Teachers Teaching in Public School Programs over the span 10 years – 220
Total number of Teachers who Teach in Parochial Schools over the span of 10 years – 64 (50- archdiocese; 14-Jewish)
Total Number of non-k-12 educators who attended the program in the past 10 years – 145 (Including university professionals, agencies, funders, private schools, homeschools etc.)
A further breakdown of teachers by district:
Archdiocese – 50
Jewish Schools – 14
Baltimore City – 102
Baltimore County – 46
Harford County – 21
Howard County – 10
Frederick County – 8
Carroll County -15
Garrett County -1
Cecil – 2
Prince Georges County 7
Montgomery – 2
Calvert County – 1
Anne Arundel County -5
A closer look over the past 10 years indicates that we have partnered with many agencies and organizations to ensure the success of this important program including:
Claims Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany
Robert H. & Ryda Levi Center for Community Relations
Baltimore Hebrew Institute at Towson University
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Maryland State Department of Education
We are especially grateful to our program sponsors, Judy and Jerry Macks and the Klein Sandler Family Fund for their sustained generosity and support of this important education initiative.Evaluation of the Summer Teacher’s Institute is crucial and every year we ask teachers for their feedback.Many teachers receive continuing education credits through MSDE through written reflections outlining how they will incorporate workshop content into their lessons. A review of these reflections provides a window for understanding its impact on participants in terms of increasing their confidence in teaching the Holocaust and other challenging topics as well as on their own personal growth. In the words of one participant:
“So many stories go untold. We have such a responsibility to share these stories, these people, with this generation. I am so grateful for the work done to restore these memories and tireless effort to prevent future genocide. I only hope my effort of partnership through education helps that cause.”
