Fund for Teachers’ Newest Grant Recipients

Last week, Fund for Teachers announced the names of 296 public, private and charter school teachers chosen to receive $1.19 million in grants for self-designed summer fellowships and experiential learning this summer.

Click here for a complete list of grant recipients.

Fund for Teachers is the only grant in the country that trusts teachers to design the learning experience THEY deem relevant to their careers and classrooms. Because of that, every fellowship is totally unique; however, they do fall into general categories. Each Friday, we will introduce you to a few new Fellows pursuing similar topics. Today, we’ll focus on Global Citizenship.

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Kelly Anroman, Michael Gozzo & Shelley Sheridan
Derby Middle School – Derby, CT
Research in Amsterdam and Germany the storyline of Anne Frank and World War II to authentically teach the injustices and atrocities that took place so students can learn from them, grow from them, and become better global citizens.

Meredith Branch & Christina Campell | Vista Condor Global Academy – Santa Ana, CA
Attend the World Peace Game Master Class in Hoboken, NJ, to bring the World Peace Game to students who will explore global themes such as the economy, diplomacy, war, and the common good.

“The World Peace Game will help our students and our school reach their greatest potential by simulating a complex matrix of real world global problems which teach children how to authentically collaborate to take care of the world. Together, they learn that their collective wisdom is far more powerful than the sum of any one individual’s knowledge, and they learn how to make philosophical decisions that maximize the collective good with the least amount of harm.”

Colleen Bretthauer | Colchester Elementary School – Colchester, CT
Become immersed in Korean culture while practicing Hangul as a minority, to then engage children in creation of authentic Asian music and consideration of how people are more alike than different.

Suzette Champagne | Jessie Beck Elementary – Reno, NV
Attend the Morpho Institute Educator Academy deep in Peruvian Rainforest to engage in hands-on learning that facilitates students’ realization that they are not just citizens of a specific state or of the United States, but of the world.

“After this fellowship, I will be equipped with engagement strategies and lessons to use immediately in the classroom. I will also be able to add my own expertise into the collection of lessons written by teachers who attended the Academy in the past. This professional development is directly aligned with my goal to become a better teacher and help create global citizens through education.”

Hannah Cordero Rothstein | New Roads School – Santa Monica, CA
Explore the visual culture and history of Jewish communities, with an emphasis on reconciliation and revitalization efforts, in Germany, the Czech Republic, and Austria, as a vital continuation of Holocaust education that creates accessible entry points for connecting past to present and building global citizenship.

“I am particularly interested in the reconciliation and revitalization efforts with and of the Jewish communities in each location, since most textbooks conclude the topic in 1945. The Holocaust has thus far been taught without exploring what happened next and is happening now. I intend to explore personal narratives and the visual cultures of the communities that can support in creating learning that is humanizing and engaging.”

Dana Curtis | Poison Spider Elementary School – Casper, WY
Join a 12-day excursion experiencing thousands of years of China’s history to inform students’ understanding of the Chinese people and culture and address negative stereotypes they may possess about people whom they’ve never met.

Cristina Figuero-Garcia | West Rocks Middle School – Norwalk, CT
Experience present-day Egypt while also exploring its ancient wonders to create a virtual field trip supporting Global Interconnections and Human Population learning for ESL and Dual Language students.

Today’s teacher is competing against TikTok, Minecraft, YouTube, to name a few, for students’ attention. This fellowship will help me create lessons that will draw students in, enable them to choose History over media and not regret it, and provide a means of using media to help meet them with a tool they enjoy.

Katharine Joss | John W. Runyon Elementary School – Dallas, TX
Explore Colombia and Costa Rica’s biodiversity and conservation efforts to create a bilingual, hands-on, project-based science course that inspires at-risk students to pursue STEM careers and motivates them to become more conscious global citizens.

My motivation for applying to a Fund for Teacher’s grant is threefold: to gain practical experience to create engaging lessons for my students, to learn from other scientists and educators, and to refuel my own passion for research to inspire my own students.

Patrick Swift | Danbury High School – Danbury, CT
Embark in Europe on a pilgrimage around a global history of science to help students make connections between the subject, their life experiences, and their identities as scientific thinkers and global citizens.

“Now more than ever, it is imperative that we invest in the most important component of any classroom — the teacher,” said Karen Eckhoff, Executive Director of FFT. “Educators are facing countless challenges every day, and Fund for Teachers is dedicated to further diversifying the ways that we can support them. Our grants represent trust in teachers’ professionalism, creativity, and vision, offering flexibility to meet the unique needs of each classroom, with the students remaining the ultimate beneficiaries as they continue to grow and learn in today’s ever-changing world.”