2019 Grant Application Available Today

Learning Out of Africa

“Travel changes you. As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life – and travel – leaves marks on you. Most of the time, those marks – on your body or on your heart – are beautiful. Often, though, they hurt.”…

The Evolution of a Teacher and Fellow

Last week in Chicago, our board of directors meeting agenda included a special guest – 2017 FFT Fellow Paula Dell, teacher at Robert Lindblom Math and Science Academy High School in the city’s South Side. Paula used her grant to work with researchers and professors active in current excavation, research and teaching of human evolution…

What’s Worth Saving?

FFT Fellows take planes, trains and automobiles in pursuit of knowledge that will engage students. Kristie Blanchard and Christine Troup’s transportation of choice? Camels. UNESCO World Heritage Sites can be hard to get to. According to the United Nations Education, Scientific & Cultural Organization (UNESCO), World Heritage Sites are cultural and/or natural sites considered to…

At the Intersection of Lane and Kilauea

Fund for Teachers fellowships are NOT vacations. So when a teacher applies for a grant to learn in Hawaii, selection committees raise an eyebrow. The proposal has to be extra convincing that teacher learning and student impact will extend beyond beautiful sunsets and drinks with tiny umbrellas. Christa Phillips’ proposal passed muster. A first-grade teacher…

Passport to Learning – Part IV

[minti_dropcap style=”normal”]A[/minti_dropcap]s part of the “follow up” portion of an FFT fellowship, grant recipients complete a Passport that documents their learning and where they plan to go from here. Teachers answer brief questions in three categories: Personal and Professional Growth Impact on Your Classroom, School & Community, and, Imagining the Future. During the month of…

WHY Hail the Mighty State?

“Why?” is the response of elementary-aged students to virtually every statement, which is why many parents are happily walking their kids back through the school doors right about now. When Lori Lyn’s second graders at Houston’s Hicks Elementary used to ask WHY Texas was so great, she quoted the usual (ranks second in population and…

Passport to Learning – Part III

[minti_dropcap style=”normal”]A[/minti_dropcap]s part of the “follow up” portion of an FFT fellowship, grant recipients complete a Passport that documents their learning and where they plan to go from here. Teachers answer brief questions in three categories: Personal and Professional Growth Impact on Your Classroom, School & Community, and, Imagining the Future During the month of…

Now They’re Cooking

Last summer I traveled to Puerto Rico to explore the cuisine, flavors and agriculture of the island. One of the major concepts I focused on was the idea of “farm to table” and wanted to use an FFT fellowship to enhance my schools participation in Connecticut’s farm to school program. While in PR, I got…

Passport to Learning – Part II

[minti_dropcap style=”normal”]A[/minti_dropcap]s part of the “follow up” portion of an FFT fellowship, grant recipients complete a Passport that documents their learning and where they plan to go from here. Teachers answer brief questions in three categories: Personal and Professional Growth Impact on Your Classroom, School & Community, and, Imagining the Future During the month of…

Won’t You Be My Student?

Have you seen Won’t You Be My Neighbor yet? So many wonderful quotes on education and children spoken by “America’s Teacher.” Before your new students enter the room you’ve worked so hard to prepare for them, we suggest preparing your spirit by revisiting the learning community of Mr. Rogers’ neighborhood. Until then, here are a…

Passport to Learning

[minti_dropcap style=”normal”]A[/minti_dropcap]s part of the “follow up” portion of an FFT fellowship, grant recipients complete a Passport that documents their learning and where they plan to go from here. Teachers answer brief questions in three categories: Personal and Professional Growth Impact on Your Classroom, School & Community, and, Imagining the Future During the month of…

A Teacher’s Thank You Note

We received this note from Lana Greenawald last week after she returned from her fellowship. Inspired by her work and her words, we’re pleased to share it with you. To the Fund for Teachers team:   I am writing to express my deepest gratitude for the opportunity to study the Spanish language and Mexican culture…

The Depths Teachers Will Go…

As we watched Shark Week from the safety of our sofas, FFT Fellow Edwin Yoo (Dorchester, MA) chose to get a little closer to the action. He is currently conducting field research on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System in conjunction with Project AWARE, an initiative taking action to create change for the ocean and communities…

Teachers Providing Refuge | World Refugee Day 2018

More than 100 families entered the Meriden Public School District in Connecticut last year from Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. Consequently, Mariah Abatan and Marjorie Eager quickly became more than teachers at Hanover Elementary — they became a lifeline for displaced, confused and scared English Language Learners (fifty percent of whom also presented with speech…

Monsieur Monet, How Does Your Art Garden Grow?

This is the question that inspired Jeff Wolfson’s 2017 fellowship to Monet’s most famous painting spot – Giverny, France. His goal was to develop with students and community partners a similar artist’s garden as a place for reflection and inspiration at Nathan Hale Arts Magnet School in New London, CT. “My school is situated in…

I’m from WHERE?

The majority of Lori Lyn’s students at Hicks Elementary in Houston are new to America and, thus, new to Texas. Therefore, in addition to providing the fundamentals of an education, she’s also tasked with teaching state history in accordance with state standards. This responsibility inspired her to assume the role of tour guide AND teacher…

Talk Shakespeare To Me

  To be (relevant) or not to be (relevant), that is the question high school students ask when it comes to reading Shakespeare. In response, Fund for Teachers Fellows annually set out for Stratford Upon Avon and related sites to prove how a 400-year-old bard has still got game. Gretchen Philbrick, teacher at Norwich Free…