Participants in the most recent Leadership Institute. © Scott Lone
The Path to Leadership
Teachers who have participated in the Summer Seminar in New York City and are interested in becoming teacher-leaders in our network are invited to apply to our Leadership Program.
We have held a Leadership Institute every three years since 2010, and have operated Regional Seminars in many locations across the U.S. Looking at what makes for a successful seminar, we now make the following recommendations for teachers interested in becoming future Regional Seminar leaders:
If you are a member of the National Writing Project, we recommend that you apply to one of the many excellent national Holocaust programs designed to deepen your understanding of the history of the Holocaust.
If you have expertise in the history of the Holocaust, we recommend that you look for a site of the National Writing Project in your home state and that you apply to attend an Invitational Summer Institute. Becoming a member of the National Writing Project will not only deepen your understanding of pedagogy but will also provide the necessary infrastructure for mounting a regional program.
TOLI teachers who interested in discussing these paths to leadership in our program are encouraged to call or write to Jennifer and Sondra.
Other Prerequisites:
- Actively teaching about the Holocaust and/or other genocides
- A commitment to teaching for social justice
- Active participation in HEN projects and programs
- A co-teacher who is also a member of HEN
- Demonstrated leadership ability
Purpose:
To work collaboratively with TOLI directors, outside consultants and other teachers in the design of your Regional Seminar. Teams accepted into the Institute will be expected to present their initial ideas for Holocaust education in terms of pedagogical approach, suggested readings, and potential outcomes. We also ask that you develop your curriculum so that it addresses current issues of social injustice in your community or state. Acceptance to the Leadership Institute is the first step in the process; support for the Regional Seminars will be based on the submission of a detailed final proposal.
In this five-day institute, participating teachers:
- Deepen their understanding of issues related to the Holocaust
- Work collaboratively on the design of regional seminars
- Consider what it means to be a leader in one’s school and community
- Develop administrative capacities and problem-solving strategies necessary for program development and outreach
Process:
If you are interested in attending our Leadership Institute and excited about the prospect of becoming a regional leader, your first step is to send an email to Sondra and Jennifer. We will then arrange a conference call to discuss your eligibility and how to move forward with your application.
Next steps:
In order to be accepted into the Leadership Institute, your team will need to complete an application that includes the following:
- A preliminary proposal that includes a potential focus and a brief outline of what you propose to do in your regional seminar. You will also need to prepare a list of what is available in your local area in terms of cultural and material resources, associated groups that might be of use to the project, and a preliminary plan for contacting potential teacher applicants. A list of potential speakers and/or readings is also useful.
- The name of your sponsoring institution/fiscal sponsor and a letter of support. This partner will help with local arrangements, including the securing of classroom space, duplicating materials, access to library and/or internet, and paying all bills.
- A current resume for each teacher.
- A list of the outreach work (ie: inservice, professional development, faculty workshops or community seminars) you have each led in your school, district, writing project or community related to Holocaust education and/or other genocides and/or social justice teaching.
In appreciation to the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) for supporting this educator training program.
Thank you to the MDRT Foundation for their generous support of our Leadership Institute.
Thank you to our MDRT Foundation Grant Sponsor, David R. Alter, of International Planning Alliance, LLC.
Professor Bjorn Krondorfer leads the group in a personal inquiry
Collating our pasts with a collage of texts
It’s not enough to know what happened. Where does social action come in? Is there a way to move from knowing about events to writing about events to actually doing something about these events in the world today?”
– Sondra Perl, TOLI Director
