THE DALLAS INSTITUTE OF HUMANITIES AND CULTURE’S
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Sue Rose Summer Institute for Teachers Reunion Dinner-and-aMovie Nights Graduate classes One-day conferences Summer Institute Alumni Symposia
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Summer seminars One-day conferences
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Multi-day, annual event for citizens and educators to consider an important topic in education
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Multi-day, annual learning retreats
Providing teachers and administrators with opportunities to sharpen their professional skills while deepening their understanding of the human condition, whose ennobling and betterment is the chief end of education, itself. We thank Kathy King for the many photos she has taken for the Dallas Institute.
E Summer 2012 Volume I, Issue II
From the Cowan Center Director D
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This is another “first,” the first summer issue of the Cowan Center Newsletter. In this issue each year, it seems appropriate to include summaries of the yearʼs events and programs, and we will do that here mainly by way of sharing photos and representative comments from those who attended. Once again, itʼs been quite a year for education. Although the almost singular goal of primary and secondary education continues to be to make students “college and career ready,” as many mission statements proclaim, the value of colleges and universities has come under serious scrutiny in the public discourse this year. Primary and secondary education have had a complicated history in our country since their inception. There has always been an ongoing discussion about what and why and how and who and when for students from elementary school through their senior year. But the energy of the debate that has flared up this year about the value of a college and university education is relatively new. Spurring the conversation, of course, is budget concerns. The shocking debt that college and university students can incur, compounded by the national jobs crisis is bringing everything out on the table. For years, we have half-heartedly joked about college-educated young people working at fast-food restaurants, particularly those with liberal arts degrees. There have been “prophets” in the public arena, though, who have tried to alert us to problems that the system, itself, was creating. Iʼm thinking here of Anthony Kronmanʼs 2008 book, entitled provocatively Educationʼs End: Why Our Colleges and Universities Have Given Up on the Meaning of Life.
Speaking mainly from a liberal arts perspective, Kronman talked about how many universities in the last century have slowly converted themselves to the European, research-model and in so doing had weakened the teaching focus that had been the strength of the American university system. I might have been less surprised than some to see the gun barrel of public opinion leveled at the ivory tower because of having read Kronman. But books on both sides of the topic proliferate now. The year 2011 was particularly fruitful, from Richard Arumʼs expose entitled Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses in January, to Benjamin Ginsbergʼs The Fall of the Faculty: The Rise of the AllAdministrative University and Why it Matters in August, to Lagemannʼs November release of What is College For? The Public Purpose of Higher Education. Published in March of this year, Andrew Delbancoʼs College: What Was, Is, and Should Be, offers what I think is the most thoughtful and comprehensive discussion about this important subject. So now that the focus is on education from Pre-K through the university, it might be that the conversation about American education is really just getting started. These are important discussions to have, and you can be assured that we will be doing our part to continue to consider these things while we reach further into the public arena with our voices. We hope that you will be with us for the journey. Sincerely, Claudia Allums
To read the Cowan Center Newsletter online, go to the Cowan Center page under “Programs” on the Dallas Institute website: www.dallasinstitute.org.
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A one-day conference for teachers, principals and administrative staff of the Highland Park school district.
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“These discussions and the materials challenged me to take a step back and think critically about what I am blessed to do every day. Itʼs a calling and I canʼt wait to get back out there and use my ʻbowʼ!” —French Teacher
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“I am always reminded of my purpose when I am here. Thank you!” —Dallas ISD High
Prometheus Bound
“Next Monday morning I will use many of the ideas from today to drive a conversation with my team of teachers who feel ʻwoundedʼ and see no way out. The atmosphere of the Institute promotes leadership and competence in educators.”— DISD Instructional Coach
“Each time I attend the Institute I am refreshed and inspired on both a professional and personal level.”
School Principal
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Focused on Sophoclesʼ Philoctetes, in separate one-day conferences, we explored the idea of what is required from teachers and leaders in light of the challenges faced by educators today.
—Dallas ISD High School Principal
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A University-style Conference for School Teachers
“Todayʼs learning has been an eye-opener! It allowed me to connect more to leadership and to look at my work as a leader in a different light.” —Private High
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Essays Presented By: June Covington • Allen Gray • Kristen Harris • Laura Hayes • Tiffany Holmes GayMarie Kurdi • Holly Liu • Gretchen Kay Lutz • Bob Myer • Onyema Nweze Linder Oʼrourke • Claire Strange Kent Travis • Amy Wilkinson Prometheus Bound F M L P
“I fully subscribe to the belief that balance must be achieved as a scholarpractitioner. This experience, discourse, and reflection allowed me renew while acquiring a richer understanding of classic literature, film, and practice.” “This was a thought-provoking, muchneeded time to reflect as it relates to my work as superintendent.” “This allowed deep discussions with colleagues and provided me an opportunity to reflect and re-purpose myself.”
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“I think reflection about practices is crucial in keeping the ʻfireʼ burning. The entire event was outstanding.” —24 years in the Dallas ISD “Engaging in conversation that forces you to reflect upon your practice for the sake of ʻgrowingʼ in it is much needed and deeply appreciated.” —15 years in the Dallas ISD “The experience allowed me to reflect on my own leadership and on what I can do to improve myself.” —16 years in the Dallas ISD “I love the opportunity to ponder eternal truths through great art. As we struggle with change, with lack of public regard, it is a good lesson to be reminded of the leadership struggles that others face.” —20 years in the Dallas ISD
“Reflective, thought-provoking and invigorating” “This experience was mind-opening! It allowed me to grow as a superintendent and really reinvigorated me.”
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“I have reflected on Saturdayʼs dialogue. It was engaging, meaningful, and enjoyable. Congratulations on a seminar that was both well-designed and artfully implemented. My reading list keeps growing!” “The Education Forum stands in stark, sad contrast to most ʻprofessional developmentʼ opportunities. The seminars proved to be an important part of my learning.“
Founding Documents By Dr. Claudia Allums
Preparing for the 29th Sue Rose Summer Institute for Teachers leaves me time these days to do little else. This is not a complaint. The work is glorious and inspiring; it is also the most difficult thing I do. But as my preparation for the Summer Institute increases, I often revisit the founding documents of the program. In 1983, When Dr. Louise Cowan envisioned a twosummer cycle of courses, it was so provocative that the granting committee of the National Endowment for the Humanities—whom she had petitioned for funding—charged her, twice, to come to Washington, D. C., to defend the proposal. These proposals typically focus on one work of literature or history or philosophy for an in-depth study. The committee must have been incredulous to see the reading list, alone. I donʼt know if those seeking summer seminar grants from the NEH are ordinarily called “on the carpet,” but it seems certain that what Dr. Cowan had submitted both intrigued and ruffled the committee enough that they just had to call her back a second time to hear the case again. What Dr. Cowan wrote caught the NEH committee off guard, and it has been catching people off guard ever since. Since this is the program out of which the Cowan Center program have grown, and since we are beginning to make concerted efforts to broaden our reach with this work, it seemed appropriate to begin sharing some of this “insider” information with those who are invested in this work with us. The spacing here wonʼt allow me to reproduce the document cosmetically, and this is actually a feature of the boldness of her presentation. But youʼll get the gist of her argument. It begins: “The Literary Tradition: Literature as a Mode of Knowledge. Summary Statement. This proposed summer institute for secondary-school English teachers is not: [bullet] a course on the graduate level in which as much attention
is devoted to bibliography as to the literature itself; [bullet] a competency preparation in those works most frequently taught in secondary schools; . . . [bullet] a lecture series by specialists . . .; [bullet] a methods course as educationists would design it; [bullet] a workshop wherein the main source of instruction is the exchange of ideas and opinions . . . . In contrast to the above programs,” she goes on, “this application proposes to plan and execute an institute for teachers that: [bullet] aims at awakening the critical and imaginative powers of participants and transforming them as teachers; . . . ; [bullet] emphasizes close reading, critical analysis, and interpretation, . . .; [bullet] adopts various strategies . . . ; [bullet] is conducted by a group of teachers who have worked together before and who reinforce each other.” Now that the program has achieved nearly thirty years of extraordinary success, I would suggest that three distinctive qualities present themselves from these original claims that reveal why this program works, and also why, with the right kind of support, it could be “scaled,” as people call it, to transform education. The first feature is the quality of the curriculum. Some of the best works of literature, history, and philosophy are studied here. The average citizen would disbelieve what often passes for “professional development” for the teachers, principals, and even for the superintendents who attend Cowan Center programs, but suffice it to say that many of those who attend say they never or rarely encounter such rich, rigorous study as this. The second feature is the collegiality among the faculty. University professors are not known for communal sensibilities. Rather, it is more often a world of competition and specialization, fostering isolation, not community. Both the Drs. Cowan believed that academe had gotten off track, that knowing more should make one better at communi-
cating and more caring, not the opposite. In her proposal, we might say, Dr. Cowan invented what we now mean when we say “learning leaders.” While often brilliant scholars in their own right, the faculty were and continue to be committed to learning and growing, to being part of a true “learning community” each July. The third feature is more difficult to explain. The attention to curriculum and faculty would have yielded a remarkable program. But what is also embedded in the program— what gives it its life—is Dr. Cowanʼs belief in the nobility of those “consecrated persons” who have given themselves to teach. Teaching is not a job nor is it a stop on the way to oneʼs career. From the beginning of the program, the class helped teachers understand the true nature of their high calling and in so doing, brought the best out of them, made them want to continue to grow and to be better than they were. All of this is for naught if it doesnʼt translate into the classroom. The thing that Dr. Louise Cowan knew is that if school teachers are given a joyful, rigorous experience of learning—like this class—they would be bursting to share their passion, knowledge, and experience with students. After all, as Dr. Donald Cowan has said, teaching is fundamentally an act of generosity. Teachers—and our principals, too—are apparently starving for opportunities to experience the joy of learning so that they have something authentic and meaningful to share. School teachers from all levels and disciplines now apply to the Summer Institutes to work their summers away. These classes ignite hearts and minds and go with the teachers back to our schools. Learning, if you love it, is actually rather easy. And if you understand why one learns and how to transmit both your passion and the content, youʼre a teacher, and you can inspire a love of learning in your students, too. 3
Teaching Humanity By Sharon A. Harris “Numberless wonders, terrible wonders walk the world but none the match for man— . . .Man the master, ingenious past all measure past all dreams, the skills within his grasp— he forges on, now to destruction, now again to greatness.” These lines from the “Ode to Man” in Sophoclesʼ Antigone capture our true humanity: capable of grandeur; equally capable of destroying what we touch. What has the teacher to say to this debased, ingenious, fractured, noble human being? We say, learn how to be fully human. The purpose of the Cowan Center for Education is to promote “learning on a human scale.” Two figures compel me to view teaching in its larger context as more than a transmittal of knowledge and skills that have immediate relevance. Aeschylusʼs image of the original teacher, Prometheus, shows us that a teacherʼs domain is both knowledge and right judgment, and indeed, it is the right judgment that will help curb the destructive elements in us all. The other figure is Sam Fathers, Ike McCaslinʼs mentor in Faulknerʼs epic Go Down, Moses. In Faulknerʼs vision, the wilderness where Sam Fathers guides the McCaslin clanʼs hunting is Ikeʼs college—run by an enormous, unconquerable, old bear. These two images suggest that a teacherʼs role is not to possess encyclopedic knowledge of a discipline, but to be able to point beyond herself, beyond the students in a particular classroom, toward something more powerful than all of them; and, pointing, she is also able to help students acquire sufficient judgment to discern how to employ the knowledge in the service of humanity. Learning on a human scale. At the February Education Forum, I came to a new understanding of our purpose in the classroom. During the summary statements when we moderators spoke to the seventy or so attendees, I said, “The purpose of an education in language and literature is to teach students about the power of words to communicate stories and ideas, and most especially to help students understand image.” Not terribly 4
profound, but I had been struck by an illustration made earlier that day by Diana Senechal, this yearʼs recipient of the Hiett Prize in the Humanities. She said that learning was like building a musical chord with three tones, starting with the dominant, then adding on the third, and the fifth tones so that we come to hear the resonance as a whole. Two things about this metaphor struck me and led to my summary statement: We apprehend knowledge in a discipline often piecemeal, adding concepts and facts to our knowledge base, even without knowing what the final product will be. This partial and incomplete knowledge requires considerable courage, I think, because generally we reject ambiguity. But it is in this liminal space where learning occurs as we struggle toward resolution. The other insight was about the audienceʼs response to Senechalʼs
“My primary commitment is to the grand and noble enterprise of teaching how humans go about being their fullest selves, journeys best witnessed in the epics, tragedies, comedies, and lyrical poetry that form the core of our readings together.”
image of the chord. As she described it and drew it in the air with her gestures, the audience was nodding. I was thinking, How did they learn to understand the image of the chord, or any other communication in words, metaphoric or not? The audience were not all English teachers; the physics and math, history and political science folks knew as well what the image meant— how words worked to create meaning across disciplinary boundaries and in countless rhetorical situations. And that brings me to the central tenets of my philosophy of teaching. My primary commitment is to the grand and noble enterprise of teaching how humans go about being their fullest selves, journeys best witnessed in the epics, tragedies, comedies, and lyrical poetry that form the core of our readings together. Immersion in these
works shows us how images work, how words come together across oceans and generations to demonstrate how we are most fully human. At the Dallas Instituteʼs Cowan Center for Education, we come for affirmation, for collaboration, and for mentoring. During the Summer Institute, at the Education Forum, and at other events specifically for alumna of the Teachers Academy, our calling as teachers is affirmed. We are intellectuals among intellectuals, practicing our noble art. What motivates us to study with our colleagues across grades and disciplines? It is certainly not some notion called "merit-based pay." But rather the knowledge that the thinkers with whom we study reaffirm our dedication to the classroom as a sacred space. The collaboration we enjoy reminds us that we are not alone. We participate in conversations that began ages ago, affirming the verities in great works of literature that resonate still in the human heart—love, joy, pain, hope, and yes, destruction and greatness. Collaboration at the Cowan Center happens across the breakfast table, in seminar rooms, on the porch. Think of that: a porch that seats 30 people eager for conversation with esteemed professors who cherish teachers and teaching. But collaboration is not limited to our colleagues and professors. We work in the presence of the authors themselves: Homer, Virgil, Toni Morrison, Faulkner, Mwindo, Shakespeare, Dante, Lorca. All these come alive to us as mentors. We are not alone. We teachers are not technicians who merely pass out bits of a computergenerated curriculum; classrooms are not factories; our students are not widgets, but young, complex human beings starved for authentic learning. Teachers know and understand and communicate the rich, multi-faceted heritage of our culture, and we bring into the sacred space of our classrooms the dignity and authority of our calling.
An alumna of the 1990-91 Summer Institutes, Sharon Harris is completing her doctoral studies at TCU. A teacher for 29 years, she received the Texas Exes Award for Outstanding High School Teachers. She is on the Teachers Alumni Advisory Board, the Cowan Center Council, and the Dallas Institute Board of Directors.