Horace Mann-Abraham Lincoln Fellowship Program

Rachelle Stewart from Shirley, Arkansas’ alternative education program was the 2010 Horace Mann / Abraham Lincoln Fellowship honoree. Please read about her experience as you contemplate the possibility of submitting your application in the future.

The Horace Mann/Abraham Lincoln Fellowship was by far the most enjoyable workshop that I have attended in my 25 years of teaching. My major is in Math and I am highly qualified in English, Science, and Social Studies. I normally look for workshops to strengthen my knowledge and teaching skills in these areas rather than math. On one of our many snow days in January, I received an email about the fellowship and thought that it looked interesting. I completed the application and essay and submitted it that day. In April, my principal informed me that I was the Arkansas selection for the fellowship.

All travel arrangements, accommodations, tours, and most meals were scheduled and paid for by the Horace Mann Company. We ate on our own a few times, but we were given a debit card for these times, so absolutely everything was paid for. My week started on Sunday with a trip to Little Rock to board my plane. I flew into St. Louis and had to wait for a few hours for other fellows to arrive. (The bonding with the other fellows began at this time and we started to learn who our classmates for the week were, where they were from, and what they taught; it was kind of humorous how we could identify each other).

We were then shuttled to Springfield, Illinois via a limousine. Twenty-four of us (June group) were greeted with a reception by the Horace Mann Company. The actual workshop started on Monday morning at 8:15 and from that point on we were listening to lectures, taking tours, and watching presentations. The tours that we were taken on included The Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum, Lincoln’s home and neighborhood, the Old Illinois State Capitol, Lincoln-Herndon Law Office, Oakridge Cemetery/Lincoln Tomb/Retreat Ceremony, and Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Park. All tours were given by choice tour guides and we were given preferential treatment by being allowed to go into parts of the exhibits that the general public was not allowed to go into. The days began at 8:15 a.m. and lasted until 6 or 7 depending on the activities for the day.

Choosing what was the favorite tour is very difficult for me, but I would probably have to choose the Lincoln Museum. The museum had many life-like exhibits, as well as real-life exhibits. It was a very great experience; we were even allowed to go behind the scenes of some of these exhibits to see how they work. We were also given the opportunity to listen to presentations by many of the experts in the library and museum. We were able to see many documents and artifacts that were a part of the Lincoln’s life. A very rare opportunity came when we got to go into the vault to see the various documents and artifacts up close that were not being displayed at that time.

Overall the Institute was a once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget. It is an experience that anyone even remotely interested in history would enjoy.