Teachers as Scholars: Voices of Diversity in American Literature to be held at Holy Cross

WORCESTER, Mass. – Teachers as Scholars, a collaborative project among Holy Cross, the Worcester Public Schools and the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, will be held on Oct. 8 and Nov. 5 at Holy Cross.

"Voices of Diversity in American Literature," the pilot project offered this fall, includes two seminars led by members of the Holy Cross faculty; it will be offered to 24 middle and high school teachers in the Worcester Public Schools Burncoat Quadrant.

"Voices of Diversity" will allow participants to meet other teachers in the Worcester Public Schools and members of the Holy Cross faculty as well as participate in seminars that have been designed for teachers in a school system with an increasingly diverse student population.

On Oct. 8, Bertram D. Ashe, an assistant professor in the English department at Holy Cross, will lead the seminar African American Voices: Doing the White Boy Shuffle.  Carolyn Howe, an associate professor in the sociology department at Holy Cross, will lead Listening to Voices of Latinos on Nov. 8.

"Most professional development opportunities for teachers who teach in the public schools center around methodology, curriculum development and teaching techniques that occur in one-to-two hour time blocks," says David Lizotte, director of the teacher certification program at Holy Cross.  "The Teachers as Scholars project seeks to provide an opportunity for teachers to study, discuss and reflect upon scholarly issues in a seminar setting with a college professor for a whole day.  It seeks to provide an enriching academic experience."