This month, Teaching Cleveland caught up with Yvonne Horstman, a Shaker Heights High School social studies teacher of 19 years, a Teaching Cleveland Institute (TCI) graduate, and an active participant in annual Ohio History Day programs with the Western Reserve Historical Society.
What’s important to you about connecting your students to local history?
While the courses I teach examine larger societal and international issues and events, I find it important to ensure that students can connect to them on a personal level. For that reason, I prioritize making local connections in every way possible to the content or topics of study. For example, when studying history and issues related to immigration and refugees, students meet with local activists and immigrants in Northeast Ohio. We bring the conversation home, so to speak, with the goal of getting actively involved ourselves. In our study of the Industrial Age or Civil Rights Movement in the U.S., Cleveland and Northeast Ohio take center stage as we examine the larger events and legacies. By consistently connecting back to our community, the history and topics become less abstract and more personal. Engagement and interest deepens in the history itself and in its impact locally. I am hopeful that this then leads to a deeper commitment to, and concern for, our community.
How has Teaching Cleveland impacted your teaching?
Because of Teaching Cleveland, I am far more competent at engaging students in the history and community surrounding them. I have made it my mission to inspire students to learn and appreciate the role that Cleveland has played in so many critical events and movements that have shaped our nation and lives (And, if I can also convert a few students to be fans of the Browns, Cavaliers or Guardians, that is icing on the cake!). Having students participate in the Teaching Cleveland Student Challenge (TCSC) this year provides yet another meaningful opportunity for students to learn of the significance of this place and their power to shape it.
My hope is that students walk away from their time with me far more aware of the stories behind the neighborhoods, places, and spaces that make up their surroundings and that they realize that they are a part of something, part of a place, that shares its history all around them in its institutions, architecture, neighborhoods, industries, food, teams, environment and more. My hope is that they likewise understand that they are the participants in creating the next chapter in Cleveland’s history.
Would you recommend Teaching Cleveland to your colleagues?
Whenever I have had the opportunity, I encourage my colleagues to involve themselves with Teaching Cleveland and its professional development opportunities. Because of my experiences through Teaching Cleveland, my interest in Cleveland’s history has become a passion for all things Cleveland. The professional development I have experienced has been some of the most impactful, memorable professional development in which I have participated.
So, thank you, Teaching Cleveland, for sharing your love of this place and its history. This transplant to Cleveland is genuinely grateful!
