Each summer, during what we affectionately call “Fellow Season,” we have the privilege of following Fund for Teachers Fellows as they immerse themselves in self-designed learning experiences around the world. Their journeys are rooted in a simple belief: when teachers are trusted to pursue the learning they need most, students reap the benefits.

This week, we’re highlighting 2026 Fund for Teachers Fellow Kim Shockley, who traveled to Bridgetown, Barbados, to research African Diaspora history at significant heritage sites. Her fellowship centered on themes of resilience, freedom, and cultural identity—knowledge she will transform into meaningful learning experiences for her multilingual students.

Kim’s journey took her beyond textbooks and into the places where history unfolded. At sites including the George Washington House, she examined historical evidence, interpreted exhibits, and reflected on Barbados’ unique connections to colonial history and the African Diaspora. By experiencing these places firsthand, she gained a richer understanding of how place-based learning can help students make meaningful connections between the past and the present.

Her fellowship also focused on the people and traditions that continue to shape Barbadian identity today. Kim explored local culture by sharing authentic meals, engaging with community members, viewing public art such as the “Life is Sweet” mural at Hayman’s Market, and visiting the Newton Enslaved Burial Ground, where she reflected on the enduring legacy of those whose lives and stories continue to influence the island’s identity. These experiences deepened her understanding of resilience, remembrance, and community—perspectives she hopes to bring into her classroom.

Beyond history and culture, Kim also explored Barbados’ remarkable natural environment. Visits to tropical gardens and natural habitats provided opportunities to learn about the island’s biodiversity and the relationship between people and place. Together, these experiences paint a more complete picture of Barbados—one that extends beyond historical landmarks to include the landscapes and ecosystems that continue to shape life on the island.

As with every Fund for Teachers fellowship, the journey doesn’t end when the plane lands back home. Kim returned with children’s literature, authentic classroom artifacts, geographic resources, and countless stories that will help bring Barbados into her classroom. More importantly, she returned with fresh perspectives and firsthand experiences that will empower her multilingual learners to celebrate their own heritage, think critically about justice and equality, and recognize the power of their own voices to make a difference.

Kim’s fellowship is a powerful reminder that professional learning is most transformative when it is authentic, immersive, and teacher-driven. By investing in educators’ curiosity, Fund for Teachers helps create classrooms where students don’t just learn about the world—they develop the knowledge, empathy, and confidence to help shape it.

At Fund for Teachers, we believe teachers know best what they—and their students—need to succeed. We also believe that teachers are uniquely positioned to help us build stronger programs, deepen our impact, and better support educators across the country.

That’s why we created the Educator Advisory Council (EAC), and why we’re inviting current classroom teachers who are Fund for Teachers Fellows to apply for this paid leadership opportunity.

The EAC is a group of Fellows committed to advancing Fund for Teachers’ mission of igniting culturally sustaining teacher leadership through rich, self-designed professional learning. Council members bring their experiences, expertise, and perspectives to help guide the evolution of our programs and strengthen support for educators nationwide.

“I was excited about the opportunity to collaborate with teachers outside my school ad district, and to hear the perspectives of educators from different parts of the country. I strongly believe that Fund for Teachers is one of the most incredible grant opportunities available to teachers because of the freedom given them in designing a learning opportunity that is unique to them.”
-Susie Kang, EAC class of ’24-’26

Why Join the EAC?

As an EAC member, you’ll collaborate with a diverse group of Fellows from across the country, contribute to meaningful organizational decisions, and help ensure that teacher voices remain at the center of our work.

What Will the Council Focus on?

During the 2026-27 school year, the EAC will work alongside FFT staff to:

• Expand support networks for rural teachers, teachers of color, and educators serving underserved communities to encourage successful first-time applications
• Design and test strategies that help Fellows implement and sustain their learning after their summer experiences
• Develop recommendations for Fund for Teachers’ application and reporting processes within an increasingly AI-driven educational landscape

Commitment and Compensation

EAC members serve a two-year term and receive a stipend of $700 per year.

The annual commitment is approximately 20-25 hours throughout the school year and includes:

• One virtual 1-hour orientation meeting (first year only)
• Five virtual 90-minute full council meetings (typically held from 5:00-7:00 p.m. CT)
• Three virtual 1-hour small-group working sessions
• Occasional individual feedback, preparation, and project work between meetings

Who Should Apply?

We are seeking Fellows who:

• Are currently working in a classroom setting
• Want to contribute to the future direction of Fund for Teachers
• Enjoy collaboration and problem-solving
• Are eager to elevate the voices and experiences of educators

Fund for Teachers is committed to assembling a council that reflects the diversity of our Fellowship community, including diversity in identity, geography, school settings, and teaching assignments.

If you’ve ever wanted to help shape how Fund for Teachers serves educators, this is your opportunity. We hope you’ll consider lending your voice, expertise, and experience to the Educator Advisory Council.

“This was a great learning experience for me. The group was safe and supportive, and I enjoyed the opportunity to talk about important topics with people from around the country who teach in various settings.”
-Ben Olsen, EAC class of ’25-’27

Earlier this month, the National Science Teachers Association hosted its annual conference in Anaheim, CA. In addition to keynote speakers and breakout sessions (one of which was hosted by FFT Fellows Matt Holden and Becky Maynard about their fellowship), special recognition was given to exemplary educators in several categories. And THREE FFT Fellows were among the winners! Congratulations to Becky and Matt, recipients of the 2026 Robert E. Yager Excellence in Teaching Award for excellence and innovation in the field of science education. We are also thrilled for Melissa Kowalski, recipient of the Shell Science Teaching Award which recognizes one outstanding classroom science teacher (K–12) who has had a positive impact on his or her students, school, and community through exemplary classroom science teaching.

 “On our fellowship to Kenya, Matt and I decided to present at NSTA about our collaboration, then we applied for this award and we both got it!” said Becky. “Fund for Teachers does amazing things for educators.” Melissa added, “I’m certain that my experience as a FFT Fellow greatly improved my application for the NSTA award!!”

We are so proud of these FFT Fellows and equally as grateful that they chose to use this platform to tell others about Fund for Teachers!

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Becky Maynard (Framingham High School, MA) and Matt Holden (Fayetteville High School, AR) used their Fund for Teachers fellowship grant to participate in the Global Exploration for Educators Organization Kenya 2025 Expedition, which includes wildlife safaris and immersive cultural experiences with indigenous communities, to create authentic student experiences focused on the cultural significance of environmental conservation.

Melissa Kowalksi (Put-in-Bay Schools, OH) used her Fund for Teachers fellowship grant to document the diverse geological features of Iceland’s untouched wilderness to enhance climate and earth science instruction that excites and engages elementary through high school students.

SPRING 2026 UPDATE 

Spring ushers in a season of recognition for educators, which gives us the opportunity to do a little humble bragging by saying “We knew them first.” Join us in celebrating these FFT Fellows and, please, let us know about exciting updates in your careers and classrooms! 

As 1.8 billion people across the globe are celebrating Ramadan, students at Lincoln Elementary in Norman, OK recently learned about the celebration from their fellow students who also are Muslim. Their teacher, Diane Wood, informed and inspired their presentation using experiences from her Fund for Teachers fellowship last summer.  

“My fellowship to Spain and Morocco helped me to develop an approach to education that recognizes, respects, and uses students’ backgrounds as meaningful sources for learning,” said Diane. “Culturally responsive teaching fosters a sense of belonging, strengthens confidence, and honors different perspectives. I believe it is essential for creating equitable and effective classrooms and ensuring that every student has the opportunity to thrive.” 

Diane serves as the Gifted Resource Coordinator for school with 270 students – six percent of whom are from North African or Middle Eastern countries. Because one of her responsibilities is enhancing the mandated curriculum with multi-disciplinary content, Diane seized the opportunity to design a fellowship that helped students affirm and appreciate their culture of origin while also developing fluency in other cultures. 

“This fellowship has helped me develop a deeper understanding of how art and architecture are not just aesthetic choices, but also powerful expressions of identity, religion, and social values,” Diane said. “Understanding this shared history of cultural synthesis has been transformative, helping me appreciate the importance of cross-cultural collaboration and the ways in which traditions can enrich one another. I’ve learned to think more critically about cultural appropriation and heritage conservation.” 

So have her students. 

Diane is using Islamic patterns she studied in Spain and Morocco to teach symmetry and tessellations to fifth graders during a geometry unit. Students are analyzing Diane’s photographs of the intricate designs of historic sites such as the Alhambra in Granada to identify lines of symmetry, rotational symmetry, and repeating shapes that form tessellations. They are using rulers, compasses, and grid paper to design their own tessellating geometric tiles. By connecting geometry to real-world art rooted in Islamic tradition, she’s striving to make abstract concepts more concrete and visual, while honoring the mathematical contributions of diverse cultures. 

Last summer with a Fund for Teaches grant, Dr. Shelina Warren and four peers from Dunbar High School in Washington DC embarked on a journey across five states in the Deep South to more effectively teach complex and accurate historical narratives about race, civil rights, and the African American experience. In advance of Martin Luther King Day, we reached out to Shelina to learn more about their experiences and how students are learning differently as a result… 

You saw/experienced/internalized so much history on your fellowship. Is there one moment that stands out above the others? 

One of the most profound moments of the fellowship was standing inside the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, at the exact site where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his life. The emotional weight of being in that space was unexpectedly similar to what I felt days later in Mississippi—standing in the courthouse where Emmett Till’s killers were acquitted and near the river where his body was found. 

In both places, I felt the same question pressing in on me: 
How do we teach students not only what happened, but how people responded—and what those responses demand of us today? 

That question is at the heart of what I was trying to solve through writing and receiving this fellowship. 

And what were you trying to solve? 

Before the fellowship, my students could name incidents of racial violence—Martin Luther King, Jr., George Floyd, Breonna Taylor—but they struggled to articulate: 

• How people responded in those moments; 

• Why those responses mattered; and, 

• What choices they themselves are inheriting today 

A pre-survey I administered at the start of my Emmett Till unit confirmed this gap: 

• While students expressed strong emotional reactions to racial violence, many lacked confidence in explaining historical responses beyond protests or anger. 

• More than 80% of students indicated that primary sources, real locations, and personal narratives helped them understand people’s choices more than textbooks alone. 

• Nearly all students said they believe their responsibility today is to speak up when we see injustice, but many were unsure how to do so meaningfully. 

The fellowship helped me realize that place-based learning—standing where history happened—is essential to bridging that gap. 

How is your fellowship’s place-based learning informing students in the various classes you teach? 

I am currently teaching a mini-unit on Emmett Till grounded directly in the fellowship experience, which specifically features high school curriculum activities and resources I received from the Emmett Till Interpretive Center and Facing History & Ourselves. Students are engaging with: 

• Photos and videos I captured at the Emmett Till Interpretive Center, courthouse, barn, and river as primary sources; 

• Documentary clips and insights shared by scholar Ben Saulsberry; 

• Comparative inquiry connecting Emmett Till’s murder to Dr. King’s assassination and contemporary racial violence; and, 

• Structured discussions centered on the essential question: 
  As we pursue racial justice today, what can be learned from the choices people have made in response to racial violence in the past? 

“Seeing the real places where Emmett Till’s story happened made it feel real in a way textbooks never did. It made me think about what I would have done then—and what I should do now.” — Dunbar High School Law & Public Policy student 

Alongside this unit, I am developing: 

• A student-created video project modeled after the National Civil Rights Museum introductory film, highlighting the legacy of our Law & Public Policy Academy 

• Podcast episodes that weave together fellowship sites, including an on-location sound bite recorded outside Dooky Chase’s Restaurant—a historic civil rights strategy space 

• A classroom Matter of Law panel series inspired by the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, where students examine court cases and consider legal vs. moral justice 

With two decades of teaching and a Ph.D. in Urban Leadership, is there anything new that you learned on this fellowship? 

Visiting Dr. King’s childhood home, final resting place, and the King Center in Atlanta helped me more fully understand the arc of his life—not just his death. Seeing where he was raised, where his ideas were nurtured, and where his legacy is preserved allowed me to teach him not only as a martyr, but as a strategist, organizer, and human being. 

At the National Civil Rights Museum, I also learned the origins of the phrase Speaking Truth to Power through Bayard Rustin’s work. That learning reshaped how I frame activism for students—helping them see that justice requires both legal change and personal transformation. 

One quote from Studio BE in New Orleans captured this tension perfectly: 
“How do you look terror in the face and still muster the courage to love?” 

That question now anchors my classroom. Love, I tell my students, is not passive—it is a deliberate act of resistance, one Dr. King embodied fully. 

I’m extending our fellowship’s beyond my students and me through: 

• Podcast episodes shared with families and the community 

• Ongoing conversations with colleagues about replicating place-based learning locally 

• An upcoming Humanities Circle presentation where I will share my Emmett Till unit and fellowship-based strategies 

The recent CBS Sunday Morning update about preserving the Emmett Till barn—and Shonda Rhimes’ continued support—only reaffirmed why access to these sites matters. Memory is fragile. Place helps protect it. 

At the heart of this fellowship is the belief that guides my work: So that others may learn. This experience strengthened my commitment to teaching truthfully, lovingly, and courageously, and to helping students understand that their responses to injustice matter. 

“I remember setting foot on my first Boston snow in February 1992,” said FFT Fellow Thu-Hang Tran-Peou describing her arrival from Vietnam as a young girl. “It was my first encounter with tuyết (snow)—a word I had read, wrote, and pondered before but had never known. The coldness, the fragility of the white cluster melting in my hands—it felt like a metaphor for my identity as a Vietnamese immigrant and refugee.”

Beautiful, bracing and ephemeral. Everything about the life she and her family fled in Vietnam now abutted against assimilation.

“I lived in two worlds—ashamed of my Vietnamese at school and never fully confident in my English at home,” she continued. “I was told that success was when I could leave my Vietnamese roots and thrive as an ‘American’ with my new branches. Today, after 17 years as an educator, I find my reflection in the eyes of my students, who also navigate these dual identities.”

Thu-Hang and her FFT Fellow teammate Thuy Nguyen teach at Boston Public School’s Mather Elementary, the oldest public school in North America, where they are charged with implementing the Vietnamese Dual Language (VDL) program for fifth and sixth grades. (EdWeek recently reported on their work). The veteran teachers were inspired by the fellowship of 2024 Fellow Vincent Pham (Brooklyn, NY) after following his fellowship across Southeast Asia last summer and decided to design and submit their own proposal focused on ensuring that their students’ histories, heritages, and home languages are seen as assets to be embraced, not erased.

In a beautiful spirit of collaboration, Thuy and Thu-Hang met up with Vincent in New York this spring to collaborate on fine tuning their upcoming fellowship itinerary. In August, the teaching duo will navigate across Vietnam’s three regions—Ha Noi in the North, Hoi An and Hue in the Central, and Ho Chi Minh City in the South — to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Saigon’s fall, gain linguistic proficiency in various dialects, and explore community spaces that represent the interplay of language, commerce, and culture in daily life. They will document each experience through oral interviews, videos/digital film, photography, and primary artifacts to bring back to share and teach in the classrooms.

“Over the past five decades, three generations of our Vietnamese families have navigated the complexities of displacement, survival, and identity,” wrote Thuy and Thu-Hang in their grant proposal. “From our parents, who risked their lives on perilous boats to escape conflict and rewrite their histories; our generation, navigating the tension between forgetting and forging a new identity in a foreign land; and our students, who now piece together hope for the future as the first cohort of Vietnamese bilingual learners. By embracing the diverse backgrounds of our students – culturally, linguistically, and even racially – we will create a learning environment that not only celebrates their differences but also unites them in shared pride and purpose in our Vietnamese Dual Language (VDL) Program, the first and only in the school district and Massachusetts”

Students at Life Learning Academy are disconnected – literally and figuratively. Many of the students live on campus, located on Treasure Island in the San Francisco Bay. Also, students arrive after experiencing life traumas, often involving the juvenile justice system, and not finding success in traditional school settings.

Kevin Hicks arrived at Life Learning Academy with his own unique trajectory, including growing food at a commune in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, founding a rowing studio gym, and working as laboratory scientist at the United States Department of Agriculture.

The common denominator between students and teacher? According to Kevin, meaningful connections, worldly lived experiences, and adventure — the same components of a Fund for Teachers fellowship.

Last summer with a $5,000 Fund for Teachers grant, Kevin participated in the Marine Conservation program hosted by Global Vision International in Puerto Morelos, Mexico, to support the management and conservation of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. Working alongside national and international non-profits and government organizations, Kevin collected data, participated in coral nursery and management and joined beach clean-ups in the Mexico Caribbean Marine Biosphere Reserve, which is one of the largest ecosystems globally, and the largest national marine biosphere reserve in the Caribbean.

Afterwards, he studied Spanish with a tutor in Quintana Roo, improving fluency to better teach one-third of his students who are Spanish speaking.

“I got to see ‘Science as a human endeavor,’” said Kevin. “As humans, we have limited capacity. It made most sense to train us to be able to identify selected target species [such as sea turtles]. This way we focused on specific species that provide crucial data.”

Kevin relies on a similar targeted approach when teaching his “Earth Optimism in Action” ecology class, focusing on specific issues that provide opportunities for collaboration and change.

“My students choose a local environmental issue for which I supply 1-2 resources for them to contact for more information,” explained Kevin. “As the name of the class implies, they are empowered to take action and reach out to local organizations for more information. Their final project will be an ‘Action Plan’ with the help of the local agency to address the issue at hand. My fellowship will be used as my example for their final project.”

Through this class (and his fellowship), Kevin models more than environmental stewardship and hands-on science. He exemplifies for his students Life in Action.

“As an educator, it is my responsibility to be a role model, and I would like to be a role model of a global citizen who takes action in the world for the things that I care about,” he said. “I deeply care about our natural environment, and particularly the oceans’ health. I want to show my students, by my actions not just my words, that their actions matter.”

Fund for Teachers, one of the nation’s leading organizations supporting preK-12 educators, is proud to announce its 2025 grant recipients. This summer, 357 teachers will leverage $1.625 million into experiential learning in 79 countries on 6 continents.

These educators comprise Fund for Teachers’ 25^th cohort of FFT Fellows. Since 2001, Fund for Teachers has invested $39 million in 10,225 public, private and charter school teachers from across the United States.

Fund for Teachers annually invites teachers to propose solutions that address learning gaps for themselves and their students. Teachers are trusted with the freedom to determine what and where they want to learn and, after a thorough review process, individual teachers are awarded up to $5,000 and teams of two or more up to $10,000 to pursue customized professional development during the summer.

Fund for Teachers annually invites teachers to propose solutions that address learning gaps for themselves and their students. Teachers are trusted with the freedom to determine what and where they want to learn and, after a thorough review process, individual teachers are awarded up to $5,000 and teams of two or more up to $10,000 to pursue customized professional development during the summer.

“Teachers are at the heart of shaping not only students’ academic trajectories, but often also their social and emotional well-being,” said Karen Eckhoff, Executive Director. “Fund for Teachers believes this high calling merits validation and support, which we provide by funding fellowships that ultimately inspire teachers’ enthusiasm for student engagement and extend their longevity in the profession.”

Three years ago, Ariana Sanders (Cincinnati) used a $5,000 Fund for Teachers grant to participate in the Witness Tree Institute’s immersive educator experience in Ghana, where she explored the impact of colonization, as well as how Africans protect their natural resources. Her goal was to inform the development of learning objectives and course modules for Ethnic Studies to be offered not just at her school, Wyoming High School, but to ALL of Ohio’s high school teachers. 

“I cannot count the ways in which this fellowship was an influential time for me,” said Ariana. “It felt like an inspired experience literally from the second the plane landed — I felt more connected to my roots as a biracial person. The Witness Tree Program really allowed me to go into areas where it is NOT touristy, talk to many professors, participate in cultural activities (food, dancing, games, etc.) It is hard to put into words what that means or how much I see that impacting my soft skills — understanding others, appreciating differences…we all clearly need more of that!” 

_{Caption: Standing in Slave River, where captured men, women and children slaves bathed for the last time before they went to the auction; Ariana’s conference nametag and presentation session.}

That connection and cultural immersion informed learning standards and curriculum for a new official course offering in the Ohio Social Studies program called Religion, Gender, and Ethnic Studies, which Ariana presented at the National Council of Social Studies’ national conference. 

Additionally, Ariana sits on the advisory board for Boston University’s Teaching Africa Teacher (TAT) Certificate Program, which supports pre-service and in-service K-12 teachers and higher education instructors interested in engaging with Africa in their classrooms. As part of this opportunity, Ariana crafted an additional curriculum titled W.E.B. DuBois & Ghana: As told through 3 primary sources – which you can access here. 

“I’ve kept up with colleagues from my fellowship in Ghana, so those relationships, as well as peers through the TAT board, give me a space to advance higher education African studies and be in touch with people who are also working to ensure Africa is represented in more social studies classes. I feel like I am the biggest cheerleader for Fund for Teachers.” 

W.E.B. DuBois said, “It is the trained, living human soul, cultivated and strengthened by long study and thought, that breathes the real breath of life into boys and girls and makes them human, whether they be black or white, Greek, Russian or American.” He would be proud of the impact Ariana is making, as are we. 

To reach teachers working in communities across the country, Fund for Teachers partners with local education foundations and philanthropic organizations. Together we market the program, manage and support applicants, conduct selection processes and fund grants.

Perhaps our favorite aspect of these collaborations happens each fall, when many of these like-minded organizations host events at which FFT Fellows showcase fellowships completed that summer.This month, the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence and the Public Education Foundation – Chattanooga celebrated Fellows’ accomplishments and the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation and Dalio Education are upcoming.

Vincent Pham (The International High School at Prospect Heights – Brooklyn) designed a 2024 Fund for Teachers fellowship to go back and go forward. He spent the month of August in Southeast Asia, researching his heritage to model resilience for students sharing his experiences as a refugee arriving in the United States. The following piece is an amalgamation of Vincent’s grant proposal and fellowship reflections drawn from his Instagram account, vincent.q.pham.

My parents, Vietnamese boat people who came to the U.S. in the late 1980s through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ resettlement initiative, were extremely cagey about sharing their memories of growing up in Vietnam with me. They lived through decades of conflict as Vietnamese forces fought against the French, the U.S., and even among themselves. Thus, their memories of Vietnam were marred by postwar poverty and having to leave behind family and friends as they fled the country.

In fact, they only began opening up to me after I received a Fulbright student fellowship to live and teach in Vietnam. Not only did they introduce me to family members still living in Vietnam, they also contemplated the challenges and triumphs of navigating the U.S. as teenagers with limited English. In return, I discussed with my parents about how my teaching and traveling experiences in Vietnam were similar or different from what they remembered. Consequently, I realized that to be a culturally relevant educator for a multicultural classroom, I needed to find ways to foster global interconnectedness.

After several more stints of teaching abroad, my personal and professional context influenced me to return to the U.S. to work in the nation’s largest and most diverse school district. For the past seven years, I have taught a two-year cycle of 11th grade U.S. History and 12th grade Government and Economics at an urban, Title I public school (right) that serves recently arrived immigrant and refugee Multilingual Language Learners (MLLs). I am responsible for supporting college readiness and English language acquisition for students who come from 30 different countries. Many students come from nations that are or were recently impacted by wars and conflicts stemming from U.S. foreign policy decisions including El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Venezuela, and Yemen, with many coming as unaccompanied minors. We do not have a prescribed social studies curriculum at our school– teachers are empowered to implement whatever material and learning scaffolds that will best engage such a heterogeneous community.

Why Vietnam? Why Now?

As a social studies educator, I embrace the position that effective classroom teaching is inherently political and that it centers students’ lives when connecting to academic content. The classroom is NOT an escape from the politics and injustices of the world. Instead, it is a space in which the students, and teacher(s) collaborate to develop worldviews, skill sets, and self-affirmations to confront these challenges. Two years ago, I made the conscious decision to teach about how government policies amplify and/or rectify social inequities.

This subject matter evokes passionate (and oftentimes oppositional) opinions in my classroom, a testament to the wide-ranging cultural backgrounds and lived experiences that my students bring with them. Thus, I believe that if I challenge my students with such complex topics, I must provide them culturally expanding and rigorous learning opportunities to critically evaluate what they learn. That is why my 12th grade curriculum on U.S. foreign policy starts with Vietnam. At the unit’s conclusion, I share my family history with students to analyze how U.S. foreign policy has influenced the trajectory of my life. Although none of my students come from Vietnam, my unit’s themes of sociopolitical upheaval, family separation, and starting anew in a foreign land deeply resonate with them.

The Fellowship

The purpose of my fellowship was twofold:

1. Experience Vietnam’s war museums (such as The War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City – pictured right), local NGOs, and interview family members, and
2. Seek out former Vietnamese refugee camp sites in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines to obtain more primary sources and texts that center the Vietnamese experience and curate a more authentic curriculum.

This fellowship was especially relevant because my school district has partnered with a local university to assess gaps in the Asian American curriculum in our public schools. Southeast Asian history has been overlooked at the school and district level, which is why my Fund for Teachers grant will assist in filling in that void. With authentic artifacts and personal connection, I aspire to empower MLLs to love history and reflect on their own personal journeys to the United States.

Vietnam

My first stop (after a quick layover in Tokyo) were the Củ Chi Tunnels. This was a 200km network of tunnels outside of Saigon and most notably used by Vietnamese guerrillas in their fight for liberation against French colonial rule and U.S. imperialists. Through experiencing parts of the tunnels and learning about its tunnels through a Vietnamese tour guide, I was able to gain deep insights on how to frame Vietnamese resistance and integrate primary sources to my future curriculum.

These tunnels enabled covert operations (moving supplies and organizing troops) and even allowed the Ho Chi Minh trail (which went through Laos and Cambodia) to connect. Consequently, the U.S. devoted intense aerial bombing campaigns and even targeted ground pursuits (that’s where “tunnel rats” would go underground to find the Viet Cong).

Visiting historical places is a tangible way to learn about how the past influences the present. It is especially jarring and profound to navigate Hà Nội because infamous sites such as the Hỏa Lò Prison and the Khâm Thiên Street (below) are seamlessly intertwined with the residential neighborhoods and local businesses. Being able to visit these different places was crucial for me to think about how we can identify and analyze the history imbued in everyday spaces.

Singapore

While exploring Singapore, my wife Marcelle suggested that we stop in the National Archives of Singapore. What was supposed to be a short stay turned into a several hour research experience for me. I came across an enormous catalog of historical newspapers reporting on the Vietnamese boat people between 1975-1996. research I did to demonstrate how U.S. economic trade embargo and refusal to provide reconstruction aid to Vietnam surely exacerbated the suffering in Vietnam. Of course, the stories I have read and heard from my family about the chaos and struggles in the aftermath of the war cannot be dismissed, but I have the privilege to examine all this from a historical perspective. Nevertheless, it is vital to evaluate with empathy.

Pulau Galang, refugee camp located in the Riau Archipelago, near Singapore, was the first former refugee camp that I visited as part of my fellowship and I have to say, it was quite somber. In 1979, the Indonesian government and UNCHR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) established a camp for Vietnamese refugees. From 1979-1996, an estimated 250,000 Vietnamese boat people and asylum seekers from countries like Cambodia and Laos were temporarily accommodated while their potential refugee status and resettlement was being processed.

Experiencing the Galang Refugee Camp was haunting, as much of the area lies in ruins. Besides the relatively newly built Buddhist temple and some renovated gravestones placed in the cemetery by former camp residents or their relatives, there is much decay as the understaffed workers barely do much.

Malaysia

Pilau Bidong was the first refugee camp that my mother and most of her siblings resided upon their exodus from Vietnam. My research indicates that Pulau Bidong was only intended to host up to 4,500 people. However, the humanitarian crisis resulted in 18,000 people living there by January 1979. By June 1979, the numbers had crescendoed to 40,000 people living at a small camp on the south side of the island, which was no bigger than a football field. During that time Pulau Bidong came to be the most heavily populated place on earth. My mother and most of her siblings were part of these 40,000 people.

When the Pulau Bidong refugee camp was shut down in October 1991, the Malaysian government essentially tore down all the remaining shelters and material built by the Vietnamese. When I visited, I experienced the ghosts of the past via the makeshift burial grounds and plaques left behind by former Vietnamese boat people who came back to visit. This was an incredible historical and personal experience that I will be eternally grateful to Fund for Teachers for providing me the means to carry out this task. I cannot wait to integrate these visuals and videos into my unit to humanize the experience of people fleeing from sociopolitical upheaval.

The Philippines

I visited the Philippine Refugee Processing Center (PRPC), located in Bataan (roughly a 3-hour drive from Manila). This was the last refugee camp my mother and members of her family stayed at before transitioning over to the U.S. By the time the PRPC closed in 1995, an estimated 400,000 refugees had come through.

Unlike my previous refugee camp visits to Pulau Galang and Pulau Bidong, nearly all refugees were confirmed that they had been accepted to resettle in another nation. Consequently, the ESL education and vocational courses offered by the camp took on even deeper significance for the people.

Visiting this former refugee camp was the most inspirational and hopeful due to its history. Unlike the previously aforementioned refugee camps in Indonesia and Malaysia, the Filipino government has sought to revitalize the area surrounding the PRPC- the territory is now called Bataan Technology Park. There are many assigned workers who actively look after the area. The wonderful museum has excellent documentation of the refugee camp and experience- the photos and videos I took will serve as profound primary sources for my students to explore in the class.

PeaceTrees Vietnam

For so long, Vietnam has been defined by Americans by the war. However, we need to consider the ways that the Vietnamese people have addressed the legacies of American intervention. More importantly, I want to demonstrate how Vietnamese people are actively trying to move forward with their lives. Primarily based in the Quang Tri province, the #PeaceTrees organization began in 1995 (in Seattle of all places) as a humanitarian mission to remove landmines and cluster bombs in Vietnam’s most heavily bombed region. Land that has been cleared of explosive ordnance has been returned to Vietnamese ownership. In fact, many community centers and schools have been built on top of these lands to symbolize the repairing of American harm.

Thanks to mutual connections, I got the chance to visit the city of Dong Ha, and see the work being done firsthand. Not only did I get to see the maps demonstrating all the places that the organization has de-mined, I also got to attend their educational community outreach to ethnic minorities in Vietnam who are oftentimes the most at risk of encountering unexploded ordnance. It was especially incredible to witness the PeaceTrees team in Vietnam have 7am virtual meetings to accommodate the evenings in Seattle and then turnaround to conduct their educational outreach. I deeply admire their ethos.

My experience with PeaceTrees Vietnam was so memorable because this organization demonstrates that Vietnam’s postwar story is not just a chronicle of suffering and sorrow. Instead, it is a powerful story of resilience and empowering the local community to address their needs as they see fit. This is what I hope to impart to my immigrant students, to embrace the fact that their continued existence is powerful and worthy of celebration.”

Back To School

As the son of displaced people, my existence derives from the sociopolitical consequences of U.S. foreign policy. I believe that I must serve as a conduit between the past and present. Hence, my fellowship is deeply personal because I will not only delve further into my family history, but also the Vietnamese diaspora as well. I have been collaborating with Professor Christian Lentz of the University of North Carolina due to his research focus on Vietnam. Along with several other teachers, we will be submitting a piece to the American Historical Review. Our piece, scheduled for March 2025 publication, will focus on how high school teachers integrate scholarly sources and fieldwork to produce innovative pedagogy.

Additionally, as the only Southeast Asian individual in my school, I am compelled to contribute to the community’s global identity through educating about the nuances of this region’s history. My MLLs often tell me that they first learn about Southeast Asia through my unit about Vietnam. Teaching about Southeast Asia is crucial because my MLLs see how their diaspora and many Southeast Asian diasporic communities were formed in response to the forces of war, colonization, and imperialism. Ignoring Southeast Asia dismisses a significant critique of U.S foreign policy and obscures discussion of on-going struggles and triumphs of people affected by American intervention.

My lived histories as a child of refugees plays an important role in my school because I can dialogue with my students about the legacy of migration and resettlement. Moreover, I am empathic of how my MLLs’ cultural identities are in flux since I grew up navigating between American and Vietnamese cultures. Thus, the final part of my fellowship happens back in the classroom: intertwining these histories to my students and my pedagogy.

Vincent Pham is a National Board Certified educator at International High School at Prospect Heights in New York. As the son of Vietnamese refugees, he recognizes that education is political. Thus, for the past seven years, he has taught social studies and English as a New Language (ENL) to immigrant students. Other achievements include: a Teacher Advisory Council Member for the National Humanities Center, a mentor teacher for the Teacher Residency at Teachers College (Columbia University), the National Educators Association (NEA) Global Learning Fellowship (2023), a Pulitzer Teacher Center Fellow (2020), and Fulbright Fellow to Vietnam (2014). Listen to Vincent share part of his lived experience on The Moth Teacher Institute Story Slam here.