Teachers go back to school at Chiwaukee Academy

The week of Aug. 11 marks the 10th anniversary of the Chiwaukee Academy, when more than 320 teachers and administrators go back to school.

Kindergarten through 12th grade teachers in southeastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois participate in the Chiwaukee Academy, held on the UW-Parkside campus each summer, one of nine such academies held around the state. Chiwaukee is a partnership between the Kenosha and Racine Unified School Districts, the University of Wisconsin – Parkside, Carthage College and many area businesses.

Attention is given standards and benchmarks, innovative teaching techniques, and assessment in all courses. The latest research will be discussed and suggestions on how to move them into practice will be shared by experienced educators.

Highlights of this year’s Academy include:

• A daylong visit on Monday Aug. 11from Kristine Cohn, regional representative of U.S. Dept of Education Secretary Margaret Spellings.

• Keynote speeches on Aug. 11 from author David M. Schwartz, who has written 50 math and science books for children. He will explain how his own childhood sense of wonder led to the books he writes, and he will encourage teachers to nurture similar enthusiasms in children.