ICJS Teacher Fellows develop skills to transform classrooms and schools into places where learning about religious diversity prepares students for fuller participation in the life of our city, nation, and world.
Because many young people first encounter religious difference in the classroom, teachers are uniquely positioned to foster a culture of religious understanding and inclusion. Helping teachers gain facility in leading these intellectual and human encounters is a key goal of the ICJS Teachers Fellowship.
The 10-month Fellowship provides professional development opportunities for Baltimore-area educators to explore how to provide students with an informed appreciation of the religious diversity that contributes to civic life. This cohort-based program helps educators apply an interreligious framework to their classroom. As a result, educators gain skills and confidence to foster interreligious literacy in their classrooms and to become interreligious leaders in their schools.
The fellowship is directed by Christine Gallagher with support and instruction provided by ICJS resident interreligious scholars.
Interested in learning more about our Fellowship? Submit the Teacher Fellowship Interest Form below.
Being a part of this year’s Teachers Fellowship at ICJS has given my values much-needed depth and articulation. I found myself in earnest agreement with the mission and purpose behind the meetings and events we participated in. Over and over again, whether it’s on the news, in an article online, or in a podcast, we…
Spelled phonetically and carefully underscored with an undulating white chalk line: yaweh. Strategically placed by the anonymous penman amongst decades of permanent signatures, a place was made for God, in the classroom. I stood for several minutes, attempting to absorb every drop of the spirit that the message contained. My colleagues and I mused about the…
As a campus minister at a Baltimore-area Catholic high school, I plan retreats and faith-based programming for students of varying faith backgrounds. The work of campus ministry is often done by telling stories. Lots of stories. In fact, I believe campus ministry is so effective because it is a community formed by simply sharing oneself…
“The skillset explored here at ICJS is crucial to the task of building communities. The teachers fellowship experience has invigorated my commitment to urban education, and increased my capability to dynamically engage in relationships and learning opportunities.”
—Vanessa Proetto | Achievement Academy High School
“This fellowship program teaches educators how to foster constructive and peaceful dialogue around interreligious topics. I have achieved a level of personal growth that exceeded my expectations beyond measure.”
—Rona Mattocks | Calvert School
“I have a deeper understanding of the ways we as educators can address cultural and religious sensitivity and help us grow into a religiously pluralistic democracy. Working together with a group of committed educators towards a goal of building an interreligious society has been the most meaningful professional development of my career.”