The Teaching Lorain Institute...
The Teaching Lorain Institute is a professional development program for any K – 12 educator interested in connecting his or her students to Lorain’s history, public policy, economics, and youth engagement. Participants learn from area leaders and experts, engage in various activities focused on pedagogy, visit interesting sites around Lorain and develop classroom-ready curricula for immediate use
Mission Statement
Lorain’s shared future depends on developing and maintaining a strong “love of place” in teachers and students who work and/or live in the City. Teaching Lorain* is a professional development program for teachers and other school personnel that is designed to educate and engage them in the rich history and tradition of the City of Lorain. It also includes a youth component that connects young people with the various organizations in the community in a way that will motivate and empower them to become engaged and assume their role as the next generation of civic leaders through its programs.
*Teaching Lorain is modeled after the already successful program “Teaching Cleveland which aims to build informed and engaged Clevelanders who are positively changing our region”.
A Brief Overview
After hearing Greg Deegan speak at the Lorain County Chamber’s New Teacher Luncheon in August, 2018, there has been a concerted effort to do what it takes to bring this program to Lorain. This is important for several reasons, not the least of which is that many of the teachers who teach in Lorain City Schools are not from Lorain and do not have an understanding of the city: its history and how it got to where it is today. Consequently, they cannot pass this on to their students. Many of the parents of Lorain students are not from Lorain either so they cannot impart his knowledge and understanding to their children.
We know that “History is the foundation for strong, vibrant communities. A place becomes a community when wrapped in human memory as told through family stories, tribal traditions, and civic commemorations as well as discussions about our roles and responsibilities to each other and the places we call home.” History Relevance
In 2018 the Lorain Historical Society security $1500 in donations to begin this work. $500 was utilized as “tuition” for 2 people to attend The Teaching Cleveland Institute in the summer of 2019. The remaining $1000 will be used to hire an intern to do research and to help develop some of the materials necessary to conduct our first session of The Teaching Lorain Institute in Summer, 2020. Due to COVID-19, the first session of Teaching Lorain is expected to roll out in Fall, 2021.
We are requesting additional funding to help us continue to do the work necessary to develop the lessons and to market and implement this first professional development program. We would estimate that the cost for developing the program would be approximately $4000. This would cover a stipend for the teachers preparing the program and administrative costs assumed by the Lorain Historical Society. After consulting with Teaching Cleveland, costs to conduct an institute are approximately $6000, including stipends for the coordinators. So, the total requested for Year One would be $10,000.