There鈥檚 a classic rock song that declares, 鈥淪chool鈥檚 out for summer!鈥�
That鈥檚 not the case for more than nearly 30 Houston-area K-12 educators who are heading back to the classroom. They won鈥檛 be conducting class, however. Instead, these teachers are back in school as students.
Credit the 兔子先生 Honors College and Inprint for providing an enriching opportunity for local teachers. The annual Common Ground Teachers Institute鈥攏ow in its 35th year鈥攐ffers them a unique experience to gain new insights and inspiration from UH faculty.
The institute will run July 22 through 26 on the UH campus with Honors College professors and special guests leading interactive sessions that explore a range of literary themes. Part lecture and part creative workshop, each session is aimed at inspiring and engaging participants. By week鈥檚 end, teachers in attendance will gain creative insights to share with their respective students.
鈥淭eaching is very hard work,鈥� said Common Ground鈥檚 coordinator and Honors College Associate Director of Creative Work Max Rayneard. 鈥淚t is easy for teachers to lose touch with the passions that brought them to the professions in the first place. The Common Ground Teachers Institute is dedicated to the simple principle that Houston educators are powerful and energizing resources for each other.鈥�
Rayneard will lead a session titled 鈥淪candalous Plays鈥� that takes cues from classics such as Sophocles鈥� 鈥淥edipus Tyrannus鈥� and modern works like Lin-Manuel Miranda鈥檚 鈥淗amilton鈥� among others. He鈥檒l explore how public scandals shape history and public opinion, as well as their depiction within dramatic works.
The concept of 鈥渉ome鈥� also is a topic that will be surveyed through works such as Homer鈥檚 鈥淥dyssey,鈥� Toni Morrison鈥檚 鈥淗ome鈥� and other texts. Led by Honors College faculty member Marina Trninic, the session 鈥淗ome and Homecomings鈥� opens the door to the definition of a home, how it defines us and its relationship to our identities.
Attendees will engage in classroom discussions and develop prose and poetry with support from the institute鈥檚 faculty.
鈥淭eachers will walk away from Common Ground feeling affirmed and part of a supportive community,鈥� Rayneard said. 鈥淭hey should feel reenergized, reinvigorated and inspired.鈥�
Honors College Dean Heidi Appel agrees.
鈥淭here is so little time for their own professional development during the school year,鈥� Appel said. 鈥淭he institute provides a focused week of reading, thinking, and talking about the ways that literature expands our understanding of the world and how to share this with their students,鈥� she said.
Teachers can attend Common Ground at no cost, and their books are underwritten by past grants from the McGovern Foundation. For their participation in the institute, educators will earn 30 Texas Education Agency-approved Continuing Professional Education hours.
鈥淭he Honors College is proud to host the Common Ground Teachers Institute because we place such high value on developing critical reading, thinking, and communication skills in our own students who come from all majors on campus,鈥� Appel said. 鈥淭o help foster the teaching of these skills in high school is a natural extension of our mission. This is but one example of the ways in which UH expresses its commitment to the community beyond its campus.鈥�
At 35 years, the institute is showing no signs of slowing down. According to Rayneard, the key to Common Ground鈥檚 success is its sense of inclusion. Teachers, he said, are not just visiting UH to learn. They are active participants in each day鈥檚 sessions, contributing new ideas and developing creative works. In essence, they once again experience the joy of being a student鈥攎aking friends in the classroom and gaining knowledge and skills to apply to their careers.
Make no mistake about it. They are truly the stars of the show during Common Ground, Rayneard added.
鈥淭he Institute would be nothing without its most valuable resources, which are the teachers themselves,鈥� he said. 鈥淟ast year, a teacher who had just attended her first institute, told me that she was struck by how respected she felt at Common Ground. It is important to remember the professional expertise and years-long experience teachers bring to the conversation. The secret of Common Ground鈥檚 long-term success is that it has never forgotten that fact.鈥�