The Pandemic Pivot – Literacy Edition

By school days, Laura Nunn is an elementary reading interventionist with Chicago Public Schools. By weekends & pandemics, she teaches yoga. Laura is offering a free virtual class this Friday at 12:30CST. Register with this link to usher in your weekend in peace. 

Laura designed her fellowship to retrace the steps of Odysseys through Sicily, Malta and Greece to give birth to a cross-curricular unit on The Hero’s Journey, modern-day perceptions of Greek myths and the meaning of “home” as it relates to travelers and immigrants.

Hearing about Friday’s event hosted by the Chicago Foundation for Education prompted us to check in with Laura and see how she and her students are managing the pivot to distance learning.

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[minti_dropcap style=”box”]Q[/minti_dropcap] What does “virtual” literacy look like with your students at Patrick Henry Elementary?

[minti_dropcap style=”box”]A[/minti_dropcap] Virtual literacy is such a change from the norm, especially with English learners!  Books are magic and we need to continue to treat them as such, even at a distance, so children can grow up believing in that magic. 

I’m currently seeing students in grades PK-8 for intervention with the majority of my work focusing on first grade ESL and schoolwide computer literacy.  I’m trying to stick to routines that mirror what we did in the classroom; we all need a bit of consistency in this upside-down world, and our children need it even more not only to get back into a positive learning environment, but also to feel safe and secure in an unknown time.  My literacy block is made up of interactive lessons made through Powerpoint or SMART Notebook with short games to keep their attention (guess the rhyme, match the middle sound, what’s the missing letter?), daily read alouds with puppets and, my number one, creating anticipation and familiarity with themed units and exciting incentives.

My best incentive is the A-Z Countdown for the last 26 days of school.  We just finished Day A, Animal Day, where students could come dressed as an animal, bring a pet or bring a stuffed animal to our virtual class to read a non-fiction animal book.  They were so excited… even though the beak of my owl costume muffled a bit of the sound!  We’re sharing our favorite books on B Day (I’ll be dressed as Ms. Frizzle!), reading under pillow forts on F’s Fort Day and we’ll act as outdoor phonics detectives on W Day’s Walking Scavenger Hunt. To me, true success is when my students are excited to read, so I do my best to bring reading to life and make life adventurous.  

[minti_dropcap style=”box”]Q[/minti_dropcap] How is your school community pivoting?

[minti_dropcap style=”box”]A[/minti_dropcap] Virtual learning will look different in every school and every classroom and, among other things, I think this pandemic has shed light on the economic inequalities within our schools and the very real digital divide that is often overlooked. We’re located within Albany Park, Chicago’s most ethnically diverse neighborhood and one of its most dense.  Based on household incomes, 100% of our school qualifies for free-lunch and 90% are English learners. Once the quarantine started, our biggest concern was getting technology into homes.  Often, only 1 or 2 students in class had a computer or tablet which had to then be shared between multiple people. Once we passed out every bit of portable technology to students, our next challenge was teaching the students themselves how to join virtual meetings and check their email: many members of our school community are unable to work from home and don’t have access to child care.  I’ve dedicated my Fridays to safe-distance home visits, often demoing computer skills from the driveway, and calling and texting families to do troubleshooting.  I’ve recorded video tutorials and created step-by-step pages. Sometimes all we can do is drop off school supplies and paper-based packets to families without wifi (it helps to do so in an inflatable unicorn costume).

[minti_dropcap style=”box”]Q[/minti_dropcap] What is your main takeaway from this time?

[minti_dropcap style=”box”]A[/minti_dropcap] Love. In my first year of teaching, my then mentor and now dear friend Edith said to me, “Just love them like they’re your own and it’ll all be perfect.” It’s stuck with me and has been formative in developing who I am as an educator.  So, for teachers out there, just love them like they’re your own, it’ll all be perfect.   We all feel overwhelmed and even the most distinguished of educators are questioning their effectiveness.  Trust in yourself that you’re doing enough and let tomorrow’s lesson be guided by great waves of love and understanding– no matter if you’re dividing equivalent fractions on your refrigerator’s whiteboard or singing songs about rainbows.  

The love in my school and professional community has made me feel that, despite the distance, we’re somehow closer than ever.  Our lunch staff, security officers and administrators are at school daily passing out free breakfasts and lunches, managing safe-pick up of technology and checking in with families.  Our Assistant Principal records her daily announcements and the pledge of allegiance and wishes kids a happy birthday.   My colleagues check-in with self-care reminders and have gone above and beyond to creatively celebrate our 8th graders’ graduation.  My after-school knitting club still meets once a week.  Sometimes all you hear is our needles clicking and then sometimes they’re talking over each other about pom-pom sizes.  What’s important is to hold that space for their voices and be present so they know they’re loved. 

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This year, Laura entered a give away contest sponsored by actor Busy Phillips and she was one of ten teachers chosen from across the country to get have her list cleared on Amazon. Her letter to Phillips read as follows:

 “Hi Busy! I’m an academic interventionist in my tenth year working for Chicago Public Schools in a low-income, high-need community where 100% of our students are far enough below the poverty-line to qualify for free lunch. Very few students come with school supplies and, due to issues at home, often their most structured, loving, and happy moments (as well as their meals) come from school. Typically, I work out of a classroom but this year, since we’re short on rooms and I believe in the wonder of reading, I’ll be taking over the library.

Here’s the thing, Busy, and it breaks my heart: due to budget cuts, we haven’t had a librarian since 2010. The room became a dumping ground for old furniture and broken materials. I’ve spent ten months working before and after school and on weekends to restore it. Come September, I’ll not only house my interventions there, but also lead PK-2nd grade library classes. The only chairs I could find are adult sized, the tables are enormous and old, and the rugs are stained. The walls are all ancient blackboard. I want my little ones to not only feel safe and successful, but also to capture the love of books that brought me to where I am. My Amazon list mostly has items to create a library space for small bodies– rugs they can take with them, chairs their size, stuffed animals to hug while they read. You’ll also see markers and hand sanitizer!

I thought I wanted to join the Peace Corps but, after working abroad in my undergraduate degree to study human rights issues, I found that the great equalizer that saved women and children alike was education. I moved to Chicago, changed my field of study, got a masters, and here I am!”

Enjoy these photos of Laura receiving donations from Phillips’ fans. You can also follow Laura on Instagram @nunn.chucks, where she’ll be posting lessons, videos and free materials.

 

 

All Pride, No Prejudice

“It isn’t what we say or think that defines us, but what we do.” Jane Austen wrote it and FFT Fellows embody it. Especially those who research Jane Austen on their fellowships.

Kelsey Nichols (Joel Barlow High School – Redding, CT) credits Austen with her decision to become an English teacher. Therefore, it stands to reason that she would write a grant proposal to experience lectures, workshops and culturally-immersive experiences at the Teacher’s Seminar at the University of Cambridge.

Kelsey with the original manuscript of “Sanditon”

“Through some strings pulled by the program’s director, I was granted an appointment at the King’s College Archives to see (and personally handle) Jane Austen’s original manuscript of her final and unfinished novel, Sanditon,” said Kelsey. “Handling Jane Austen’s manuscript and seeing her original work for myself reignited the reverence and respect I hold for literature, reminding me of why I thought I could become a teacher of literature and do my part in preserving such legacies.”

Kelsey says her fellowship provided the time, distance, and academic environment needed to reacquaint myself with my own love of literature.

“I reconnected with my reason for becoming a teacher and that alone created a renewed sense of purpose in teaching students how to pursue, access, evaluate, and apply literature to their writing and lives outside the classroom. With my teaching being reinvigorated by my time at Cambridge, my classroom will once again be passionate and engaging, not flat or tedious.”

One aspect of that classroom is a new Jane Austen Book Club. Artifacts and photos Kelsey collected at the Jane Austen House Museum add to the experience.

“Studemts read one of Austen’s novels per month and meet every seven school days to not only engage in critical discussion of her work, but also to experience Regency-era pastimes such as traditional letter writing in script and afternoon tea,” said Kelsey. “Each month concludes with an after-school film party in my classroom where we watch the movie adaptation of that month’s novel.”

For Kelsey, the most rewarding part is listening to students’ first reactions to characters, events, and conflicts of Austen’s novels.

“Austen’s novels are over two-hundred years old now, and my fifteen year old students – all from different family dynamics and life experiences – are easily relating to her and even applying what they’ve been reading to situations in their own lives,” she said.

“Ultimately what I love about this club and these books is how it has taught me how the Regency-era, a time period which I knew virtually nothing about, could relate to each and every one of our club members,” said club member Melissa. “Austen has taught me the true timelessness of her satire and insights and how literature can truly unify even this extremely heterogenous group within our club.”

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Twenty miles south at Stamford High School, Melissa Hadsell‘s students celebrated Jane’s birthday on Friday, also the culmination of their Pride & Prejudice study. Students came to class dressed as their favorite characters (as Melissa did at The Jane Austen Center in Bath, England); tea, card games and Austen trivia rounded out the celebration. Enjoy these photos from their day and have a Darcy-worthy Jane Austen Day yourself!

Tips from the Pros (aka Fellows)

Two weeks ago, Fund for Teachers opened the 2019 grant application. Have you been thinking about where you want to go and what you want to learn? For a little inspiration, today we share excerpts from a piece produced by the Stamford (CT) Education Association highlighting the learning of FFT Fellows from the area. Maybe you’ll see yourself in them and be inspired to start your online application, due January 31, 2019.

Kristin Baldovin above the Theatre of Dionysis at the Acropolis.

[minti_dropcap style=”normal”]”I[/minti_dropcap] wanted to travel to a place I had not been before to expand on my world view, and I wanted the location to be relevant to curriculum for my fourth graders. Our first literacy unit of study centers around Greek mythology, so going to Greece seemed like a natural fit. I also noticed that my students often struggled with some of the historical context that I knew I could gain going to Greece myself.

Do it! Apply! I would highly suggest submitting a proposal if you are interested in furthering your knowledge and learning as an educator or person in general. Choose a place and/or topic you’re passionate about. When you have passion, it makes the writing/work easy.

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Diane with founder of Rainbows Within Reach.

[minti_dropcap style=”normal”]”M[/minti_dropcap]y main goal in applying for an FFT grant was to improve how I teach writing to English Language Learners. Thanks to Fund for Teachers, I was able to attend the I Teach K! conference in Las Vegas. I attended a variety of sessions on writing, guided reading, and helping ELL students, as well as those with behavior issues. Now, more than a year later, I still refer to the strategies and techniques I learned.

I would urge anyone who has a desire to learn and explore to take a chance and submit a proposal. You just might get some exciting news in April!

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Sarah spent the day interacting with 35 orphans living at a children’s shelter in Atenas.

[minti_dropcap style=”normal”]”I[/minti_dropcap] chose this experience because, very simply, I realized that I could be far more effective in my work with families if I could speak basic conversational Spanish. I spent two weeks in Grecia, Costa Rica, attending Academia Centroamericana de Espanol’s program specifically designed for social workers. Through classes and living with a host family, I developed a small sense of how some of our families must feel when they can’t advocate for their children due to a language barrier. I am much more mindful of this now and also have found that if I make an effort to speak Spanish, parents are often willing to try a bit of English. Just making an effort opens a lot of doors.

Whatever program you design for yourself, you need to make a strong case for how your fellowship will benefit students, their families, and/or your school community. If you want to know more about my fellowship, visit my blog at https://costaricasarahblog.wordpress.com.”

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Jenna Cinelli developed a global network of peers during her fellowship.

[minti_dropcap style=”normal”]”I[/minti_dropcap] had the amazing opportunity to attend the Hawaii National Great Teachers Seminar in Hilo. This was unlike any other conference I’ve attended: Gone were the rows of desks, teachers on laptops and lectures. It was just 60 teachers from around the world meeting together in small groups to talk about education, the issues we face as educators and how to become that “great teacher” our students need. By deciding what learning would be best for your teaching, you are in control of your own growth. No one dictates what you are learning or how you should take it back to your classroom. I was able to decide what I was going to learn and what I was going to take away from it.”

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Connie in the Boyne Valley with a Neolithic monument built in 3,200 B.C.

[minti_dropcap style=”normal”]”I[/minti_dropcap] kept it simple and didn’t try to see 10 cities in 10 days, but was still able to explore 9,000 years of Irish landscape, mythology and culture through the country’s national treasure of storytelling. I experienced UNESCO World Heritage Sites and the largest Anglo Norman castle, attended evenings of music and storytelling and learned that storytelling is not only just active for the teller, but also the listener. If you are going to apply, first read about other people’s fellowships. There are some amazing ideas! Then start your dream. You do not have to leave the USA. The trip is about YOUR personal growth as an educator!”

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.” – Anthony Bourdain

Four years ago, Maria Morris (Morse High School – Bath, ME) volunteered with a lion conservation initiative in Zimbabwe. The personal passion project inspired a new professional purpose, a return trip on a Fund for Teachers fellowship in 2016, and a third trip this summer.

“The country’s 90% unemployment rate, poverty and lack of basic school supplies was shocking,” said Maria, speaking of her initial time in Africa. “I returned home a different person and wanted my students to understand how different their world was compared to others. We initiated a pen pal project with orphans I visited in Zimbabwe, which led to students’ questions I couldn’t answer. I started researching the culture, education system and standards of living in Zimbabwe; but my research lacked ‘realness.’ That’s when I learned about Fund for Teachers.”

Maria buying the laptop in Zimbabwe with money raised by her Maine students; with leadership of Africa Impact.

In the summer of 2016, Maria returned to Zimbabwe with an FFT grant. She researched community programs at African Impact and delivered team building curriculum for its volunteers. Through four school visits in three regions of the country, she researched the education system, employability skills needed by the tourism industry, lifestyle, culture and economics During her time at the Midlands Children’s Hope Centre orphanage, Maria took a student with her to purchase a laptop with funds her students raised through a Chili & Chowder Cook-off.

“Returning to Zimbabwe as an FFT Fellow helped me and my students grow in ways that cannot be measured,” said Maria. “While often in our culture we seek to separate our personal selves from our professional selves, I see that as impossible. They are symbiotic, fueling each other. My students now understand this, too, as I’m in a better place to guide them towards becoming global citizens and philanthropists.”

 

 Zimbabwe continued to leave marks on Maria after her fellowship. She enrolled in classes through +Acumen (a nonprofit that tackles poverty by investing in sustainable businesses, leaders, and ideas), which led to a third journey to Zimbabwe in July. Maria conducted team-building and first impression lessons at the Ngamo Secondary School using activities road tested with her own students and materials supplied by JMG Maine, a nonprofit that supports public school students’ education and career goals.The culminating event was a four-day Youth Leadership Summit with orphans at Midlands Children’s Hope Centre, as well as girls from the community. Students created vision boards by solar lamps Maria purchased at a local market and brainstormed on creative solutions to community problems, presenting their plans on the final day.

“I had the best week ever,” said Miriam, a participant. “I learned to be confident and proved my confidence when I presented my business plan. I’m a leader!”

 
“Honestly, I could not have done this without my FFT Fellowship in 2016,” said Maria. “Pure magic happened when I stepped from my comfort zone to travel alone to Zimbabwe. I became a more informed citizen and so did my students in Maine and, now, my students in Africa.”
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Maria (pictured with students at Morse High School and Ngamo Secondary School) blends classroom lessons with authentic learning experiences to empower her students to become healthy and successful global citizens. In addition to being a 2016 Fund for Teacher Fellow she was inducted into the Maine Educators’ Hall of Fame-Starting Six in 2012. (Pictured in top picture high-fiving a member of the Ngamo Lions Soccer Academy who aspires to be a teacher.)

Holocaust as Comic?

“For the past two years, my eighth grade English class has used Art Spiegelman’s Pulitzer-Prize-winning graphic-novel, MAUS, as our primary text to study the Holocaust. My students enjoy the fascinating imagery, the break from traditional textbooks, and Vladek Spiegelman’s captivating experience in Nazi concentration camps. While they enjoy the unit, it can be challenging for students to connect the story with the grave reality of the Holocaust.  This fellowship would allow me to ground the story in reality through the authority of my own experience and by creating short video journals which document the places described in the book.”

Filming at the gates of Auschwitz.

So began Nick Dykert’s FFT grant proposal — a desire to combine the Holocaust, YouTube and what The Washington Post deems “the greatest graphic novel ever written” into meaningful, relevant learning for students in his English class at James Monroe Elementary in Chicago. He spent two weeks retracing the steps of Holocaust survivor Vladek Spiegelman (aka MAUS) through Sweden, Poland, Czechoslovakia and Germany as described in the graphic novel.

“It was amazing to stand in the places that I talk about during my WWII unit. I can speak with greater authority and use the many videos I shot to engage my students,” said Nick. “In our current political atmosphere, it is so important to be able to empathize, slow down, and consider one another’s perspectives. Relating my firsthand experience and showing my videos brings my students one step closer to doing that.”

According to Nick, students are simultaneously loving the “vlog” and poking fun at him. “They think it’s funny to subscribe to their teacher on YouTube.”

WE think Nick’s videos, discussion questions and resources are remarkable. See if you agree.

Watch the first six videos by clicking here.

All Fairy Godmothers, No Big Bad Wolves

“Once upon a time there were two teachers in search of a way to make fairy tales come alive for their urban students.” This is how preK and kindergarten teachers Carmen Kaemingk and Kirsten Carlson began their FFT grant application, proposing a journey along the Fairy Tale Trail in Germany, Italy and France. By researching the origins of stories by Perrault (Little Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella), Collodi (Pinocchio) and the Brothers Grimm, they believed they could encourage students’ imagination as an alternative to technology-driven entertainment.

Turns out, they were right — sort of.

Students now use props their teachers brought back to act out fairy tales in class, expanding their language skills and building vocabularies. This exercise has proven especially fun (and effective) for English Language Learners. Students also write and illustrate their own fairy tales and their parents attended a Fairy Tales 101 night to learn how sharing stories from their own cultures can develop literacy and language skills in their children.

The “sort of” disclaimer is because the innovative teachers are using technology to enhance the fairy tale units. By strapping on Virtual Reality headsets loaded with images taken on the fellowship, students marvel at landscapes in which the familiar stories took place. They also dictate into recording devices their own narratives, learning digital storytelling techniques.

“Our goal was to take fairy tales off the movie screen and activate our students’ imaginations through the magic of reading fairy tales,” said Carmen. “While we’re accomplishing that goal, we’re also teaching them how to tell a story in correct sequence, a necessary reading skill that builds and strengthens students’ comprehension.”

And they are all learning happily ever after.

The end.

Sharing Stories, Shaping Multicultural Literacy

Wisconsin is home to the third largest population of Hmong immigrants in the country, but students at Pittsville Elementary knew little about their peers from Southeast Asia. Kate Van Haren turned to textbooks, but most social studies information focused on European ancestry. Online research surfaced only immigration statistics and an occasional Hmong recipe.

“I realized a key component of the American immigration story was missing from my curriculum,” said Kate. “My students interacted with the Hmong community due to the large number of families relocated here, so I knew it was a group of people I could create interest around. I designed a Fund for Teachers fellowship to create a narrative around push/pull immigration that affirmed the fact that, despite our differences, most immigrants to the United States and their descendants share similarities with us, as well.”

Visiting the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary north of Chiang Mai, Thailand

Kate spent one month traversing Southeast Asia, researching Hmong culture and their modern societies in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Along the way, she learned about the custom of story cloths — series of embroidered pictures that document daily lives and legends. She purchased one from a Hmong tribal woman and created curriculum for fourth grade Wisconsin History and fifth grade US History students. After learning about the Hmong culture and welcoming guest speakers from a local Lao community organization, students drew personal story cloths sharing their personal ancestries.

“The stories of Hmong families who settled in the area are both tragic and heroic, yet my students were unaware of the diversity in our small farming community. It has been amazing to watch how this project opened their eyes to the different groups of people living around them,” said Kate. “In the age of data analysis and standards based testing, developing a globally conscious curriculum becomes more difficult. This fellowship inspired me to continue meeting my goal of shaping students with global and cultural awareness.”

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss! | Happy Read Across America Day!

Based on our Fellows’ experiences, the phrase “there’s more than one way to skin a cat” applies to student literacy. We’ll refrain from using that idiom today, however, out of respect for The Cat in the Hat – feline foil of Dr. Seuss, whose March 2 birthday coincides with Read Across America Day. Rachel Rodriguez (Waterbury, CT) and Marnie Jones (Washington DC) have much more to celebrate — reaching a wide range of students with new approaches to reading instruction.

Rachel the International Literacy Association Convention in Orlando, FL.

Rachel’s elementary school has the highest transiency rate in the district. Teaching literacy to students who attend every day is hard enough. Rachel’s students (reading two to three years below grade level and often speaking English as a second language) come in and out of school due to issues worsened by poverty, making fluency that much harder. To capitalize on the time she has, Rachel sought out non-traditional reading strategies  at a local and international conference and returned from her fellowship trained in kinesthetic approaches that benefit students suffering from reading disorders and also increase their self-esteem and motivation.

“A large issue in our school is extreme behavior challenges and I believe the root of a large proportion of these problems comes from students’ lack of academic confidence,” said Rachel. “Through my new training, students students are making large strides academically, increasing that confidence and improving behavior. With time, school morale will also improve, as students and teachers find the environment a more positive place.”

Marnie teaches special education students within a traditional classroom setting, which brings its own set of challenges. She works to determine how each student learns best, then makes information or skills accessible. Along the way, she discovered the Lindamood-Bell approach to literacy that incorporates sound, sight and movement to further reading and comprehension. Marnie used her grant to attend two Lindamood-Bell workshops and now applies research-validated strategies tailored to each child.

“Learning how to read does not come easily for many of my students,” said Marnie. “I now realize there is more than one way to become a successful reader and my students are achieving fluency through movement and visualization of letters.”

Marnie’s students collaborate to make the letter “J.”

Research shows that 20% of America’s students struggle with reading. In the past five years alone, 228 teachers have devoted fellowships to lowering that statistic. Literacy remains one of the most common subjects our Fellows pursue so today, especially, we offer them and their students this slight adaptation from Dr. Suess’ Happy Birthday to You:

Today you are you! That is truer than true!
There is no one alive who is you-er than you!
Shout loud, “I am lucky to be what I am!
Thank goodness I’m not just a clam or a ham
Or a dusty old jar of sour gooseberry jam!”
You are what you are! That’s a great thing to be!
So keep on reading! Love, your friends at FFT.

Get on the Bus, Gus

Think The Magic School Bus meets a bookmobile and you have the classroom on wheels changing students’ lives in Chattanooga, TN.

Brittany Harris (2013 FFT Fellow) and her colleague Colleen Ryan re-purposed and “tricked out” a short school bus they now take to students’ homes on the weekends to extend lessons and connect with working parents. Brittany, a teacher at Hardy Elementary, bought the bus with her own money, so committed was she to students’ success. Ultimately, the red bus, affectionately called “The Passage,” has been underwritten by local businesses and philanthropies, as well as a T-shirt fundraiser.

Watch local news coverage of The Passage here.

“Enabling our students to succeed, despite where they come from, was oneof the major reasons I used a Fund for Teachers grant to attend the “Teaching with Poverty in Mind” and “Tools for Maximum Engagement seminars” said Brittany after completing her fellowship.“Our students come from a background of poverty and we want them to have maximum engagement in their academics.”

On fellowship at the “Teaching with Poverty in Mind” workshop in San Antonio, TX

The vehicle for engagement is now actually a vehicle. Since last November, Brittany and Colleen spend every weekend rolling into neighborhoods and swinging open the doors for their students, who eagerly enter for math and reading tutorials.

“Fund for Teachers granted me the opportunity to learn, serve and infuse strategies that have built a better and stronger community,” said Brittany. “I learned how to teach with students in poverty, and make a positive impact on student growth. I also gained knowledge on how to engage every child daily. What truly opened my eyes during that innovative week was that the teacher holds the greatest percentage of student achievement. With that information, I created plans and goals to strive for my students to reach their greatest potential.  Fund for Teachers allowed me to build on previous knowledge and make a  powerful impact. I appreciate that amazing ability to create a strong influence for teachers to persevere and seek more.”


UPDATE: Watch Brittany win $10,000 on The Ellen Show as part of 2018 Teacher Appreciation Week!