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He’d Like to Teach the World to Sing — Opera

You might not know that October 25 is the birthday of Georges Bizet (composer of the opera Carmen) and Johann Strauss II (composer of multiple operettas). Or that today is World Opera Day, the fourth year in a movement to increase awareness of access to opera. Perhaps most surprising of all, one of our grant recipients…

2023 Grant Application Opens

On October 1, Fund for Teachers launched our 22nd year of investing in educator’s self-designed experiential learning. It’s also our 22nd year of recognizing teachers as professionals worthy of respect and their students deserving of engaging curriculum. We stand by this mission and remain proud of the national cohort of 9,000 strong preK-12 teachers who…

Teaching World Peace

September 21 is International Day of Peace, declared by The UN General Assembly as “a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, through observing 24 hours of non-violence and cease-fire.” Three 2022 FFT Fellows chose to devote their fellowships to the ideals of peace on behalf of their students this summer. Christina Campbell and…

“Us” versus “Them”

In recognition of the anniversary of 9/11, today we feature an article originally shared in 2009 by a teacher who designed her Fund for Teachers fellowship as a result of the attack. Millennium High School, where I teach, is located in lower Manhattan and was founded largely in response to September 11, 2001. The Islamic…

Researching Monarchies

The death of Queen Elizabeth II evokes a wide range of emotions and much reflection on the history associated with the longest reign in the British monarchy. The global attention on royalty also brings to mind the fellowship of Stephanie McCrary, history teacher at Decatur High School in Decatur, AL. Stephanie used a Fund for…

Who gets to tell history?

Take a closer look at this image. What story does it tell? Who do you think is telling the story? Our Fellow, Stephanie Graham, embarked on an in-depth study of forced migration of the Stockbridge-Munsee tribe from New York to Wisconsin. Not only did her Fellowship lead her to deepen her understanding of the history…

Final Fellow Friday

Today marks the final Friday in August, the end of summer and the conclusion of most of our our 2022 grant recipients’ fellowships. We’ve proudly introduced you to many of these deserving educators through this Fellow Friday series by grouping them in similar categories (math, literacy, music, world cultures, etc.) But some of our Fellows’…

Fellow Friday | Transatlantic Slave Trade

We are winding up our “Fellow Friday” summer series next week, after focusing on 2022 grant recipients who are pursuing similar categories of learning, such as literature, special education, Holocaust studies, math, conferences, indigenous studies, music education, and even farming. In advance of International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition…

Fellow Friday | Literature

Today we continue our “Fellow Friday” summer series — despite knowing that many of you are completing your first few days of school. Let these peers be inspiration for you to begin thinking about what YOU could learn and where next summer with a Fund for Teachers grant! These FFT Fellows who designed learning around…

Fellow Friday | Special Education

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act defines special education as: “Specially designed instruction, at no cost to parents, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability.” Those needs run a wide gamut, with the essential similarity being students who are not best served in a “general education” setting. Teachers called to this…

Fellow Friday | Vikings

This summer, every Friday is “Fellow Friday” — an opportunity to introduce you to the caliber and creativity of our grant recipients. Generally speaking, the learning our grant recipients pursue falls into recognizable categories: Music Education, American History, Indigenous Studies, English Language Learners, Gender Studies, Astronomy, Holocaust Studies, Global Citizenship, Health & Well-Being, Math Education,…

Fellow Friday | Conferences

Based on much of the images and narratives we share concerning our 2022 FFT Fellows, one could assume each grant recipient travels to far flung locales for their chosen experiential learning. (Have you BEEN following the learning of Marina Outwater in Uzbeckistan??) However, the majority of our Fellows actually remain in North America. Furthermore, many…

Fellow Friday | Farming

This summer we’re closing out each week with a look at what some of our grant recipients are tackling with their fellowships. Topics so far have included: Music Education, American History, Indigenous Studies, English Language Learners, Gender Studies, Astronomy, Holocaust Studies, Global Citizenship, Health & Well-Being, Math Education, World Cultures, Geography and even Anthophilia (the…

Fellow Friday | Geography

This summer we’re closing out each week with a look at what some of our grant recipients are tackling with their fellowships. Topics so far have included: Music Education, American History, Indigenous Studies, English Language Learners, Gender Studies, Astronomy, Holocaust Studies, Global Citizenship, Health & Well-Being, Math Education, World Cultures, and even Anthophilia (the study…

Reimagining Liberty

Thank you to FFT Fellow Bethany Seal and her team mates, Hannah Jones and Heather Serpas (West Harrison High School – Gulfport, MS) for sharing this reflection on independence after recently completing their fellowship contextualizing American history to create a new unit celebrating and reflecting the diversity of their students and bring to life literary…

Fellow Friday | American History

To introduce you to our newest grant recipients, we’ve started Fellow Friday. Last week, we highlighted seven teachers who designed and are pursuing fellowships around music education. For this holiday weekend, we profile multiple teachers who dedicated their fellowships to various aspects our America’s history, including our fight for independence, Westward Expansion, our military in…

Fellow Friday | Music Education

To introduce you to our newest grant recipients, we’ve started Fellow Friday. Last week, we highlighted seven teachers who designed and are pursuing fellowships around Indigenous Studies. Today, we meet a group of Fellows who chose different avenues of pursuing a range of subjects supporting music education. Click here for a complete list of grant…

To FFT & Beyond

We often call our fellowships “gateway grants” because once a teacher applies for and receives a Fund for Teachers grant, they realize that they can — in fact — take advantage of the myriad of opportunities out there for educators. The most common next step for FFT Fellows is the Fulbright-Hayes Program through the US…