Four years ago, Fund for Teachers decided that because we are about teachers, we wanted teachers’ input about what we do and how. Our Educator Advisory Council (EAC) was the first outcome of that decision. A cohort of FFT Fellows were selected from a competitive application process to inform our programming in the best interest of peers and their students. We want to take this opportunity to acknowledge and appreciate their contributions, which required time outside of very full schedules to ensure that other teachers will have the most relevant and impactful Fund for Teachers experiences going forward.

The purpose of EAC, as originally designed, was to “provide educator perspective and feedback to help guide the development of programs,” said Liza Eaton, who oversees the cohort. “This purpose on paper has turned into tangible advancement in the form of helping guide the development of new application questions and scoring criteria, boosting recruitment of Fellows of color, and refining materials that elevate the work of our grant recipients. At the core of the EAC is the invaluable perspective that keeps Fund for Teachers grounded in the authentic experiences of teachers, in schools, doing the work of educating the next generation.”

Wendy Harris teaches at the Metro Deaf School in Saint Paul, MN. With a fellowship grant, Wendy explored the intersection of culture and education for Deaf and DeafBlind students in Tanzania and Kenya to develop more culturally appropriate instructional strategies and social studies content and improve personal cultural competence in communication with East African families and their Deaf and DeafBlind children.

“The opportunity I had through FFT to explore a region and topic I knew would benefit me and my students had a significant impact on my teaching. I have wanted to repay this by helping FFT impact more teachers and students and the EAC was the right avenue,” said Wendy. “It’s been helpful for me to understand FFT specifically and education in the United States more generally in a broader/systematic way.”

“I respected FFT so much for their professionalism and for the autonomy and respect they gave to teachers,” reflected Olivia Flores, teacher at Paseo Academy of Fine and Performing Arts – Kansas City, MO. “I’ve loved being in community with others and pushing our thinking around these programs.”

With a fellowship grant, Olivia completed an intensive language immersion course in Barcelona and join an artifact-gathering/cultural enrichment experience in Pamplona, Madrid, and Valencia to bolster Spanish culture content in a dual language curriculum and firmly establish the accessibility of international travel opportunities through bilingualism in our students.

Amanda Hope (Moseley Elementary School – Dallas, TX) wanted to join the EAC to advocate for special education students and to diversity our applicant pool.

“Serving on the Educator Advisory Council for the past two school years has been both an honor and a pleasure,” said Amanda. “This experience deepened my investment in the greater FFT community and allowed me to collaborate with fellow educators. Together, we worked on initiatives to create lasting, positive changes for teachers, enhancing their professional growth and benefiting students. Being part of the EAC has been a fulfilling journey, reinforcing my commitment to empowering educators.”

Following up on last month’s announcement of our newest FFT Fellows, we are excited to announced the 2024 recipients of Fund for Teachers Innovation Circle Grants!

These secondary grants were established in 2022 to support FFT Fellows who initially took learning into their own hands through a summer fellowship grant. Led by FFT Fellows, participants dive into a topic (this year “Advancing Student-Centered Learning”) alongside other grant recipients – first individually over the summer, then virtually as a cohort throughout the fall – to create positive change in their classrooms and communities.

Congratulations to these exemplary educators!

Dr. Mirtha Aldave | Hartford Public High School – Hartford, CT
2023 FFT Fellow
Attend the Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) – Systems of Support for Multi-Language Learners Conference in New Brunswick, NJ, to offer a transformative program that provides the academic fundamentals to Students with Interrupted Formal Education/Students with Limited/Interrupted Formal Education.

Dr. Lhisa Almashy | Joaquin Garcia High School – Lake Worth, FL
2023 FFT Fellow
Enroll in the Japanese American National Museum’s conference “Little Tokyo: How History Shapes our Past and Present” in Los Angeles to expand cultural and historical awareness with Japanese English Learners and gain valuable perspectives on their role in US history.

Bethany Berg | Brooklyn High School – Brooklyn, OH
2023 FFT Fellow
Become immersed into the powerful tradition of storytelling through a residency at Baer Art Center in Iceland to create coursework that uses these stories to develop authentic student voice on the page.

Chesley Booth | Northmont High School – Clayton, OH
2023 FFT Fellow
Visit both Cold War and Third Reich historical sites in Berlin, including special exhibits and workshops, o foster an environment that allows students to make connections between the past and the current climate of world politics.

Kathy Bosiak | Lincolnton High School – Lincolnton, NC
2018 FFT Fellow
Gather materials across Maryland, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina related to the historical contributions and impacts which enslaved African Americans have had on the development and implementation of medical treatments to create a just and equitable anatomy curriculum for classroom use.

Jennifer Brody | Brentano K-8 – Chicago, IL
2020 FFT Fellow
Experience local and regional ceramics museum and outdoor sculpture gardens and complete an eight-week ceramics class learning new skills, to get inspiration for student and community created artwork for a school garden.

Kelli Brown | Idaho Arts Charter School – White, ID
2015 & 2023 FFT Fellow
Work with two different language instructors focusing on my use of Spanish Language Storytelling to specifically research ways to use Mexican Folk Stories and the book “Don Quixote” as central literature themes.

Sandra Burgess | Morgan Park Academy – Chicago, IL
2022 FFT Fellow
Research the growth of the slave trade through civil rights resistance in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee to create a research project in collaboration with a middle school history teacher that requires students to focus on mapping how slavery contributed to the economy of the US, which caused those who benefited to oppose its demise.

RJ Christensen | Elsik High School – Houston, Texas
2013 & 2023 FFT Fellow
Gather visual and analytic information from university research labs and coral reef dives in Florida to educate students on marine conservation, culminating in a large-scale community sculpture built by students that highlights the interconnectedness between endangered marine life and human well-being.

Christine Depew | Middlesex Middle School – Darien, CT
2018 & 2023 FFT Fellow
Attend the Dismantling System Racism: Bring Back Joy! 2024 Conference on Race, Education, and Success in Hartford, CT, to learn to integrate conversations on language, culture, and identity into class, research cultures through visiting museums, and bridge cultural divides that affect students.

Dr. Rama Devagupta | Southridge High School – Kennewick, WA
2023 FFT Fellow
Participate in online courses offered by Oren Jay Safer, author of “Say What You Mean,” and the Center for Nonviolent Communication to learn, practice and incorporate NVC language and skills that foster authentic communication and transform student-student and student-teacher interactions with care, compassion, empathy, and presence.

JoAnn Dixon | Leonard J. Tyl Middle School – Oakdale, CT
2016 FFT Fellow
Attend the International Society for Technology in Education conference (ISTE Live 24) in Denver to learn from and collaborate with experts and inspiring educators to advance student centered learning in the computer science classroom.

Jennifer Gentry | Lincoln Elementary School – Norman, OK
2020 FFT Fellow
Experience The Rabbit Hole, a new immersive museum in Kansas City that celebrates a century of children’s literature, and attend a free Ai Technology Conference, to curate and establish a yearlong story walk/art expo for all students in our school.

Angela Germano | Dover Intermediate – Westlake, OH
2017 & 2023 FFT Fellow
Experience the Scaled Solar System Walk Park in Cleveland; Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Science Center, Moonshot Museum and National Aviary Museum; and the National Air & Space Museum and Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington DC to help students design a solar system walk at school that teaches community members about our solar system & the life that is found on our planet.

Joseph Giandurco | Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy – Norwalk, CT
2017 & 2021 FFT Fellow
Take advantage of online resources offered by Whole Kids Foundation, No Kid Hungry, Seed Your Future and Feeding America before touring gardens and participating in workshops in Connecticut and New York to expand a community garden, highlight gardening can affect climate change, address food insecurity and allow for the development of students’ self-care skills.

James Gorse | Classical Magnet – Hartford, CT
2020 FFT Fellow
Road trip to information sessions/campus tours at five of the country’s most prestigious Historically Black Colleges & Universities to expand students’ awareness of post-secondary options and break down barriers for students’ hopes and dreams after high school graduation.

Libby Hall | H.W. Good Elementary – Herminie , PA
2022 FFT Fellow
Study mindfulness, yoga, and cultural practices in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore to create a tranquil classroom environment, teach students best practices for emotional regulation, and create resources for community members to combat the rising stress and anxiety students are experiencing.

Brooke Hopkins | The STEM School – Chattanooga, TN
2022 FFT Fellow
Study the Finnish concept of sisu, defined as determination, courage, and resoluteness in the face of adversity, and how it correlates to happiness, to pursue how to instill feelings of happiness and joy back into the educational process.

Leslie Johnson | Oglethorpe County Elementary School – Lexington, GA
2023 FFT Fellow
Study language while learning more about Guatemalan myths and legends rooted in Mayan heritage to create a literacy unit that will be culturally relevant and compelling for bilingual students.

Donna Kaiser | Stamford High School – Stamford, CT
2022 FFT Fellow
Attend the 2024 Summer Conference of the New England Association of Chemistry Teachers (NEACT) in Fitchburg, MA, to work toward reducing student absenteeism by engaging under-represented student groups in chemistry.

Jodie Lang | Mary T. Murphy Elementary School – Branford, CT
2016 & 2022 FFT Fellow
Attend the Intercultura Immersion Language School in Costa Rica, which includes a homestay with a Spanish speaking family, to improve fluency, increase cultural awareness of students’ heritage, and help the students and families feel welcome and included in the school community.

Alicia Lorenzo | Hanover Elementary School – Meriden, CT
2022 FFT Fellow
Complete online courses on Project Based Learning to increase parent engagement and create a more inclusive learning environment for students and families immigrating to the United States.

Elizabeth Lucas | Harts Pk-8 – Harts, WV
2022 FFT Fellow
Attend the Elevate Your Classroom conference in Nashville to learn strategies for reaching students with a variety of emotional and behavioral issues to help engage students in their learning environment and beyond.

Kristel McKanna | The Exploratory School – Brooklyn, NY
2008, 2016 & 2021 FFT Fellow
Experience Buddhist temples in Maine, Massachusetts, and Vermont to investigate how combining mindfulness meditation with the study of Buddhist art can equip middle school students to manage stress, unleash their creativity, and cultivate a more relaxed and open mindset for artistic exploration.

Keisha Patterson | Whitefield Academy – Smyrna, GA
2023 FFT Fellow
Explore the art, food, heritage, and culture of San Juan, Puerto Rico to help students better understand the history and language dialect of Caribbean Spanish.

Kim Peddle | Washington Elementary School – Cloquet, MN
2023 FFT Fellow
Experience Costa Rica’s efforts to protect its sea turtles and beaches to support students’ vow to be “water protectors” of the community and extend student-centered learning projects with leadership opportunities.

Vita Pinelli-Beebe | North Street School – Windsor Locks, CT
2023 FFT Fellow
Explore Xcaret Eco Park in Rivera Maya, Mexico to build a strong concept of Mexican cultural identity and transfer that knowledge to create inclusive, student-centered learning experiences that celebrate cultural identities with the community’s growing Hispanic population.

Crystal Polski | Hopkins West Middle School – Minnetonka, MN
2019 FFT Fellow
Attend the virtual International Society of Technology Education (ISTE) Conference, exploring the intersection of technology and social-emotional skills, and also complete A.J. Juliani and John Spencer’s Teach with Ai course, to better understand the current implications of artificial intelligence, teach students to use artificial intelligence responsibly and ethically, and support staff to make shifts to their curriculum to increase rigorous expectations while engaging students.

Laura Pope | Northwood Elementary – Piedmont, OK
2023 FFT Fellow
Attend the Modern Band summit in in Fort Collins, CO, to explore diversity of instruments in music education and lead to more accessibility outside of the traditional music class setting.

Deanna Roncaioli | Maloney High School – Meriden, CT
2000 FFT Fellow
Explore Washington DC museums’ approach to elevating underrepresented populations to create awareness, understanding and celebration of students with diverse heritages.

Anne Shaefer | Marin Oaks High School – Novato, CA
2023 FFT Fellow
Become immersed in Spanish language learning and Latin American culture through CPI Costa Rica, while also studying the origins of Latin American folktales and myths on site in Monteverde and Guanacaste, to acquire material for creating engaging lessons that encourage reluctant students to talk, share and have pride in their heritage.

Michelle Smith | Clear Brook High School – Friendswood, TX
2023 FFT Fellow
Explore how education must change to accommodate the needs of Gen Z and Gen Alpha learners by attending the International Society for Technology in Education conference (ISTE Live 24) online, complete book studies on Gen Z & Gen Alpha learners and explore how entertainment venues have adapted for their new (young) consumers.

Beth Smith | Frank Elementary School – Kenosha, WI
2014, 2021 & 2022 FFT Fellow
Enroll in an Orton-Gillingham course that provides hands-on, interactive, and personalized learning focused on methods of teaching, the five components of literacy instruction, and the tools necessary for classroom implementation, to align teaching with the Science of Reading.

Lynn Susanto | Lincoln Elementary School – Norman, OK
2000 FFT Fellow
Experience The Rabbit Hole, an immersive, expor-a-storium in Kansas City that walks one through the pages of stories from childhood to create creative, engaging, reading experiences for students.

Susan Tenon | Harding High School – Fairport Harbor, OH
2018 FFT Fellow
Study the Canadian indigenous culture in Winnipeg, Manitoba, specifically to learn more about how their literature, history, and culture reflects and impacts their climate activism, to help students understand the historical implications of the availability of clean and plentiful water.

Vin Urbanowski | Academy of Information Technology & Engineering High School – Stamford, CT
2023 FFT Fellow
Attend a teacher/scientist conference at Caltech to learn more about developing STEM alternatives for the non-STEM focused student who is not likely to enjoy or thrive in traditional “topics in…” courses to embrace and empower students as they are.

Tina Vasquez | Charlottesville High School – Charlottesville, VA
2020 FFT Fellow
Engage in an internship, including volunteer work and a homestay, at EcoSpanish School in San Juan La Laguna, Guatemala, to learn new strategies for incorporating both nature-based learning and SEL into intensive classes for Newcomer English Learners.

Courtney Widhalm | Baldwin Creek Elementary School – Lander, WY
2021 FFT Fellow
Participate in an online Mindful Art for Kids Teacher Training course and engage in local yoga classes to provide students with tools to cultivate mindfulness and self-awareness.

Beth Wilson | Jenks East Intermediate – Jenks, OK
2020 FFT Fellow
Research the Cherokee culture through ceremonies and cultural centers across Oklahoma and Washington DC, to explore subjects mentioned in the read-aloud book “Soft Rain” with students who have mild/moderate learning issues.

Rebecca Wolsten | VOICE Charter School – Queens, NY
2023 FFT Fellow
Enroll in an Immersive Spanish Class in Mexico City, while identifying Mexico City artists for a visual art curriculum, to reflect more Latinx art and culture represented by an increasing number of English Language Learners and their families.

Here is a little glimpse into what these teachers have to look forward to as part of a Fund for Teachers Innovation Circle Grant:

• Institutionalizing Non-Violence
• Sneaker Culture Meets Student Culture
• Ya No Forasteros: Breaking Down “Otherness” in Student-Centered Teaching

Follow all of our Fellows throughout the summer on Instagram and Facebook as we share their updates from around the world…

Fund for Teachers has announced our 23^rd cohort of grant recipients, bringing our total investment in nearly 10,000 preK-12 teachers to $37,000 million. This year’s FFT Fellows represent our largest percentage of Teachers of Color, 365 public/private/charter schoolteachers from 36 states and the District of Columbia.

Meet our 2024 FFT Fellows

Fund for Teachers grants support teachers as the primary learner in the classroom and trusts they know best what their students need to advance academically and emotionally. That’s why there is relatively no limitation on what a teacher can propose to learn, or where they propose to learn it. Over the past 24 years, FFT Fellows have pursued new knowledge, skills, and perspectives in 170 different countries on every continent.

“A curious teacher who recognizes students’ learning gaps, honors their lived experiences, and actively seeks innovative solutions will change the lives of those students and their families,” said Karen Eckhoff, Fund for Teachers’ executive director.  Our Fellows are models of what can happen when teachers are respected professionals and valued as agents of change.”

Fund for Teachers also invests in teachers by awarding Innovation Circle Grants that fuel Fellows’ independent research during the summer, followed by virtual collaboration with other Fellows throughout the fall followed by classroom implementation in the spring.

We are excited to begin introducing these exemplary teachers and invite you to follow their fellowships throughout the summer on our Facebook, Instagram, blog and podcast!

“We have learned that trauma is not just an event that took place sometime in the past; it is also the imprint left by that experience on mind, brain, and body. This imprint has ongoing consequences for how the human organism manages to survive in the present.”

This excerpt from New York Times bestseller The Body Keeps the Score resonates with Michelle Moyer and her students for different reasons. During Michelle’s fifteen-year career as an elementary teacher, she experienced domestic abuse and subsequent diagnoses of Multiple Sclerosis and breast cancer. Her second graders at Mohegan Elementary in Uncasville, CT, also exhibit physical symptoms of trauma caused by a different set of issues, including:

• being bullied by sibling with no adult intervention
• witnessing arguments and verbal abuse between divorced parents
• fear of caregivers, and
• parents’ substance abuse and serious health issues.

“Due to my own life experience with trauma and anxiety, I can identify and understand many of the [trauma-induced] behaviors the students are exhibiting,” wrote Michelle in her grant proposal. “I know the challenges and difficulties associated with processing and moving past these feelings and I want to help my students successfully conquer, or in the very least, begin their journey to conquer them.”

Their mutual path to wholeness involved a Fund for Teachers grant and a rowboat.

Last summer with a $5,000 grant, Michelle learned to row a single shell on lakes in Italy. She designed this unique fellowship to engage in personal trauma recovery as a role model for students with trauma and to revise a social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum using skills and strategies learned to build a safe, supportive classroom community.

Rowing with a local club was already playing a role in Michelle’s recovery. The activity aligned with the four steps to trauma recovery documented in Dr. Jennifer Sweeton’s book Trauma Treatment Toolbox by:

1. Providing a safe space of acceptance and individuality;
2. Fostering community, healthy connections, and a sense of belonging;
3. Helping to realign emotional systems, and;
4. Igniting a new self to dream and hope for a joyful and successful future.

Designing this particular fellowship was the next step for her and her students.

“My fellowship provided intensive, guided instruction with a one-on-one coach designed to focus on skills such as self-trust, risk-taking, adapting to unfamiliar circumstances, physical challenges, asking for help, receiving constructive criticism, trusting someone else, potential trauma triggers, and facing failures,” said Michelle. “It encompassed the same four steps I want my students to experience, so this grant supported my own journey through trauma to inform and increase understanding of my students with trauma.”

“My very first day of rowing, was in a coastal boat, which I had zero experience in. I was soooo nervous!” she said. “It was also one of the hottest days of the summer. Being nervous, and now fearing my MS may come into play due to the heat, I hesitated. I paused, took some mindful moments, processed my fear, and said ‘I will NOT allow fear to take this from me.’ I got in the boat. Acclimating to the boat, I began to row. I began to row strong! Best Rowing! Best Rowing! the Italian coach cheered!”

Michelle is now modeling for her students what resiliency and healing look like. She’s also refining an SEL curriculum that includes specific activities to help students begin to think about, define, and create a positive self-identity.

“I want to show them the possibilities truly are endless for their young selves, IF they ALLOW themselves to try!” Michelle said. “Through journals, role play, read alouds, discussions (I researched, bought, and organized many new books), and relationships (making sure I dedicate time to talk and listen to each student), I am committed to connecting and discovering the needs of each student.”

She is also leveraging her personal growth to see her students through a new lens and guide a pedagogy switch from behavior management to behavior modification. “No more reacting to behaviors,” she said, “but leaning-in to them with the student to understand ‘the why.’”

“Through therapy, personal reflection, and exercise I am only now discovering myself, my authentic self,” said Michelle. “It has been a long and difficult journey, but very rewarding. One that equipped me to help my students on a new level — especially vital in this new world of pandemics. I want to be that one person, that one place, where my students have the chance to find out how the beautiful the world really is!”

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Michelle Moyer is a second-grade teacher who has taught in Hawaii, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. She believes teaching and learning in the elementary classroom should be meaningful, integrative, value-based, challenging, and active. Michelle empowers her students through comprehensive SEL and restorative practices, collaborative environments, and high standards. A teacher for 15 years, her career accomplishments include being an FFT Fellow and earning a master’s degree in education.

Today we open our third year of Innovation Circle Grants specifically for those previously awarded Fund for Teachers grants. Participants dive into one of two topics alongside other FFT Fellows – first individually over the summer, then virtually as a cohort throughout the fall – to create positive change in their classrooms and communities.

Based on input from our Educator Advisory Council and additional FFT Fellows, the 2024 Innovation Circles are:

Advancing Student-Centered Learning and Teachers Shaping the Future of Education.

Topic #1 – Advancing Student-Centered Learning

Due to the success of last year’s Circle with a similar theme, we’re continuing to devote resources to Fellows’  research and implementation of learning informed by students’ heritage, home, and history. What does this mean specifically?

• Have you noticed a pattern of student engagement you want to shift?
• Are students telling you (with words or actions) that they need a change?
• Is your current curriculum feeling estranged and lacking engagement?

As with our fellowship grants, the subject of your learning is up to you; it just needs to be focused on and rooted in your students’ lived experiences.  

Topic #2 – Teachers Shaping the Future of Education

Too often, decisions impacting education fail to entertain teachers’ voices and wisdom. This Circle represents Fund for Teachers’ effort to further empower educators as advocates for themselves and their students. Under the leadership of two nationally recognized thought leaders (who were once teachers themselves), participants this Circle will identify an issue that they want to influence. That issue, however, can range from:

• student-driven concerns;
• school-specific dilemmas (i.e. cell phone use);
• district policies impacting students, teachers and/or families, or;
• state and/or national educational advocacy opportunities.

Ultimately, the purpose of this circle is to help teachers learn how to navigate environments to promote change that will serve your communities. 

Timeline

Now through April 18, FFT Fellows are encouraged to apply for an Innovation Circle grant here. The FFT Fellow facilitators will be announced in mid-March; the new Circle cohorts will be notified on April 29; and checks will be distributed, and virtual orientations held in May.

Fund for Teachers established this secondary grant to support our Fellows who initially took learning into their own hands through a summer fellowship grant. Innovation Circles represent the next step in their journey toward personal and professional evolution. Questions? Contact Liza Eaton at info@fundforteachers.org.

Kicking off Women’s History Month, we share this fascinating fellowship designed by two teachers from Alpine, Texas.

“An American woman with a prosthetic leg, a Black woman born into poverty and segregation, and a Sufi Muslim Indian woman facing prejudice, were not satisfied to stand still or conform,” wrote Cory Cason and Renee Parson in their 2023 Fund for Teachers grant proposal. “Stories of historical figures serve as powerful role models and as high school U.S. and world history teachers we are in a unique position to use them as a classroom tool. Their compelling stories will inspire our students to look beyond their own circumstance as they ‘see’ the world and help cultivate the characteristics of empathy, resilience, adaptability, and courage we wish to see in our students.”

Thus began this teaching team’s quest to follow Virginia Hall, Josephine Baker and Noor Inayat Khan through Europe. Why these women in particular? Because in addition to their public personas as author, entertainer and princess, they also became exceptional WWII spies.

Dead, Old and Irrelevant?

Renee and Cory live in a remote corner of West Texas and teach at a school where sports and organizations such as Future Farmers of America characterize the cadence of the school life and the surrounding community. The history teachers (in addition to coaching track and field, history fair, and UIL academic contests) realized that students’ awareness of the wider world and appreciation of historical events were lacking.

“If we do not tell compelling narratives, our students will not be affected,” said Renee. “We believed that discovering
the stories of historical figures could be used as a strategy to create empathetic global citizens, but it’s difficult to use
historical figures as role models if we and our students cannot relate to them as real people.”

Renee and Cory designed a Fund for Teachers fellowship to:

1. Become experts on Virginia Hall, Noor Inayat Khan and Josephine Baker,
2. Create substantive authentic teaching materials, and
3. Navigate international travel in search of history

to use historical figures as role models by cultivating a real connection to these women and inspire an interest in the world beyond Alpine High School’s campus. The end result would be a new unit called “Spies Like Us.”

Sleuthing Out Surprising Facts

The International Spy Museum in Washington DC kicked off the transatlantic fellowship, where all three women are featured in the “Sisterhood of Spies – Celebrating Women in Espionage” exhibit. Their narratives are told and artifacts are on display, including Baker’s sheet music with invisible ink, a clandestine Mark II radio and transmitter, the type used by Khan and Hall’s Order of the British Empire award.

Next, a flight to London, where the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) recruited Hall and Kahn. A day trip to the Beaulieu Finishing School revealed the site where British SOE spies (including Hall and Kahn) mastered radio communication, weapons and sabotage.

Chunneling to Paris provided the opportunity to visit The Pantheon Mausoleum, where Baker is one of the few women and the first woman of color to be memorialized, as well as visit the Parisian streets and arrondissements where the three women lived and worked — including Avenue Foch where Khan was arrested and interrogated at Gestapo Headquarters. Additional stops included:

• The Musée de la Libération de Paris-Musée du Général Leclerc-Musée Jean Moulin museum partially housed in former secret French Resistance tunnels,
• The Chateau des Milandes where Baker lived after WWII and is now a dedicated museum space with exhibits from all aspects of her life,
• The medieval village of Villefranche-de-Conflent where Virginia Hall began her escape during the
  winter of 1942 with a wooden prosthetic leg over the Pyrenees into Spain, and
• Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site where Noor Inayat Khan was imprisoned and executed.

From every stop, Cory and Renee sent missives to students via social media to report on their findings.

Cluing In in the Classroom

Renee and Cory are translating their experiences into a spy school for students set in the high plateau of the Chihuahuan Desert between the Glass and Davis Mountain Ranges. Students are creating podcasts about women involved in World War II espionage and hosting a dinner party or tea at which students “interview” these same individuals for a cumulative report.

Along the way, the teachers’ content knowledge and mindset expanded as much as the students’:

• The independent bookstore and public libraries asked them to speak about their fellowship; and
• The duo is producing a podcast about the entire experience and impact.

“Sometimes when you do something for a long time, you take it for granted,” said Cory. “Admittedly history was becoming a bit boring for me. But as we traveled, I fell in love with history all over again. Experiencing history outside of the classroom and in the present was an adventure. I found that even though this was my first big trip overseas in 25 years, I was able to take advantage of every moment offered.”

Thanks to FFT Fellow Tim Barry for his reflection on his two Fund for Teachers fellowships inspired by students’ curiosity and focused on elevating the experiences of Native Americans during World War II.

I am in my sixteenth year as a Special Education Teacher and have spent fifteen of those years teaching middle
school. Based on students’ needs, much of my time is spent teaching and supporting students in English and social studies classes. Our 7th-grade students read Code Talkers, by Joseph Bruchac and Farewell to Manzanar, by Jeanne Houston as part of our English curriculum that explores the importance and impact of identity. In 8th grade, we read All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque. The beauty of this subject matter is that it fosters intellectual curiosity in our students. They want to know more, they want to ask questions, and oftentimes, these questions create dialogue and a spirit of inquiry that extends into authentic, teachable moments.

As a student of history, I am very familiar with the Pacific and European Theaters of World War II. Admittedly, the story of the Navajo was one that I was aware of, but not well-versed in. When reading Code Talkers, the idea that is most foreign and confusing to our students revolves around “why?”

Why would the Navajo be so loyal to a country that attempted to erase their culture? Why would these people be willing to save the country, with nothing in return?

As Code Talkers is our students’ first introduction to the World War I & II subject matter, it is the ideal opportunity to take an anchor text and extend the discussion beyond the pages of a book. This is not just a story of what the Navajo did, but an introduction to WHO the Navajo are. This fellowship provided me with an opportunity to gain first-hand knowledge of how their culture and identity impacted their role in World War II and bring back an authentic experience to the students.

Having previously completed a Fund for Teachers fellowship to Manzanar in 2018 to examine life in and around Japanese Relocation Camps in Utah and Colorado, I was awarded a second grant last summer to engage with the Navajo Nation in Arizona and New Mexico. I examined the importance of cultural identity and explored how that identity empowered them to overcome marginalization by the U.S. Government and embrace the role as Code Talkers in World War II.

Read more about Tim’s 2023 fellowship here.

The highlight of my fellowship was hearing Peter MacDonald speak at the National Code Talkers Day event. Mr. MacDonald, at 94, is the youngest of the three living Code Talkers. He told the story of his enlistment at the age of 15 and the pride he felt in being Navajo and wearing the Marine Corps uniform. During his speech, he implored the Navajo youth to continue learning, protecting, and using the Navajo language despite its challenges because language is the key to sovereignty.

As I spoke to members of the Navajo Nation, I began to question my qualifications to teach about the Code Talkers’ story. This was not due to any unfavorable reception of my fellowship; quite the opposite, everyone I interacted with was welcoming and willing to share their knowledge. My concern revolved around doing justice to their culture, community, and the Code Talkers. Ultimately, it will drive me to deepen my learning and seek experts to share their stories.

The experiences I returned with have allowed me to provide authentic insight and perspectives to increase and enhance my students’ comprehension within our Code Talker unit. I gathered a variety of vetted, leveled texts to enrich academic discussions among students of varying ability levels. Most importantly, I have created relationships with people who can offer a cultural background vastly different from my students and foster a climate of understanding.

My Fund for Teachers fellowship reinforced the importance of self-discovery and lessons presenting themselves. My experience initially concentrated on enhancing my understanding of Code Talkers, which evolved into a story of the preservation of language, culture, and identity that is still challenging today.

When experiencing new cultures, we cannot rely solely on academics studying from a distance. It is critical to interact with communities directly to ensure that shared knowledge is culturally relevant.

Additionally, the fellowship enhanced my desire to explore and foster a sense of intellectual curiosity with my colleagues. The opportunity it provides for teachers to enrich their learning and share the inspiration of self-study rekindles much of the excitement that brought many of us into teaching.

Navajo Code Talker statue with Window Rock in the background

Halloween can be a scary time for teachers, due students’ sugar highs, costumes gone wrong, and the  “ghosting” of students” the day after. For Jinafer Brown’s French students, the learning takes on a fatal feel, as well.

Jinafer used a Fund for Teachers grant to explore the mysterious megalithic stone structures in Western Europe, gather evidence from French forensic scientists and archeologists on the origins of the civilizations that built these structures and create an inquiry-based unit to improve students’ science literacy skills.

This fellowship focused on death is rooted in data: 79% of students at Jenks High School scored below proficient at in science. Additionally, an Academic State Standards for World Languages that Jinafer struggles to meet is “expanding students’ knowledge of other disciplines while using the language to develop critical thinking.” Researching Neolithic stones in Western Europe and the French forensic evidence of their origins offered the perfect mix of science and language (and also speaks to the free reign our grant recipients have when crafting their unique fellowships).

Read our 2022 Halloween post about FFT Fellows’ research of Jack the Ripper here

At Carrowkeel Mounds near Sligo, Ireland, I was able to explore freely without any restrictions other than my own fear. Believe it or not, I did muster the courage to skinny into the tomb behind me. It was for science!

Enter If You Dare — And She Did

Last summer on her Fund for Teachers fellowship, Jinafer documented:

• the Megalithic Passage Tombs of Boyne Valley of County Meath, Ireland (older than Stonehenge in England and the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt)
• the Gavrinis Tumulus in France, built in 3500 BCE;
• Roche-aux-fees, a 5,000-year-old passage tomb in Western France (pictured at the top of this post);
• the Carrowkeel Mounds near Sligo, Ireland; and,
• the Clava Cairns, a 4,000 burial site near Inverness, Scotland.

Her research included filming the sites for VR headsets, touring museums — such as the Archeology Museum of Dublin, where remains of “bog people” from AD 20 are on display — and interviewing docents. Jenifer participated in a workshop about the first villages of France at Paris’ Musée d’Archéologie Nationale in conjunction with annual European Archaeology Days and joined summer solstice celebrations at stone circles in Scotland.

Her Haunting Question

Throughout her learning, one question haunted her: “Should I be here?”

“I found that I had an internal debate as to whether or not funeral sites should be excavated. Should the remains of these kings and respected leaders be disturbed and viewed by thousands of visitors each day or should they remain closed out of respect for their cultures and their beliefs?” said Jinafer. “My professional mindset is that one’s intention makes all the difference. If one is studying these remains in order to make connections and remember the culture of that civilization, this is honorable.”

Demystifying the Megaliths

Jinafer created this fantastic website for students to discover the “Mysteries of the Megaliths.” Here they will view videos and interviews in the French language.

“I gathered PDFs and hard-copy books that explain the Neolithic civilizations in French. I collected articles and 360-degree photos that allow students to examine artifacts extracted from tombs in Ireland, Scotland, and France. Using Virtual Reality headsets [which Jinafer secured with a second grant], these materials will come to life.”

Using a THIRD grant, Jinafer purchased friction kits and students will follow the science lab friction experiment procedures in French.

“In small groups, students will propose prototypes of sleds and other means to Move a Megalith, she said. “Community partners (retired engineers and business owners) will work with students to build their prototypes. Last, in a school-wide event, students will carry out their experiments to see if they can move a megalith using only materials available in the Neolithic era.”

Take advantage of the website, that includes Jinafer’s FFT grant proposal, here.

For hundreds of teachers, today changes everything. Because today, Fund for Teachers’ 2024 grant application opens. Empowered by experiential learning fueled by $5,000 (for individuals) or $10,000 (for teams of two or more), our grant recipients are inspired to rethink their practice and reignite their passion for teaching, which consequently impacts their classrooms, school communities and careers for years to come.

PreK-12 teachers from across the country are invited to propose a summer fellowship that is:

1. professionally centered on students, and
2. personally supports their development as experts and exemplars for students and colleagues alike.

Our application deadline is January 18, 2024, and members of the 2024 FFT Fellow cohort will be notified on April 4, 2024.

Start Your Application Here

Are You Eligible?

YES, if you:

• Teach full-time in a public/private/charter or religious school with at least 50% of instruction in a classroom or classroom-like setting (including a library, gym or pull-out scenario);
• Will return to the classroom the following year; and,
• Have completed three years of teaching by the conclusion of the 2023-24 school year.

What’s Your Re?

This year, we’re asking potential applicants to consider “What’s your Re-?” In other words, what could a Fund for Teachers grant help you accomplish? 

• Reengage students in learning that centers them? 
• Recharge from burnout? 
• Reconsider narratives you’ve taught? 
• Revisit topics that once held your curiosity and could inspire your students? 

During the next few months, Fund for Teachers will offer webinars and workshops designed to facilitate fellowship proposals that have the best chance of being awarded. (Watch our website for updates and registration links).

We also encourage applicants to take advantage of our Online Learning Center, which has links to the scoring criteria, grant writing tips, and a timeline for managing the process.

“Fund for Teachers is the country’s largest investor in teachers’ professional learning, with approximately 10,000 educators awarded $32,000,000 in grants for self-designed fellowships since 2001,” said Karen Eckhoff, executive director. “Now it’s time to add to our cohort of teacher leaders committed to their profession and their students’ learning.”

Ariadne Prior-Grosch and Tom Bradway both teach at the Academy for Software Engineering in Manhattan, NY. This summer, they used a $10,000 Fund for Teachers grant to explore Enduring Issues and Crosscutting concepts in 10th-grade global history and earth science curricula across the African continent to highlight content connections, interdisciplinary learning opportunities and culturally responsive case studies and develop project-based learning units that integrate themes in global history and earth science. Three weeks after they returned home, Morocco experienced a 6.8 magnitude earthquake. We appreciate this reflection and their desire to give back to the people who welcomed them so warmly.

We ended our fellowship journey in Morocco less than three weeks ago, staying in Marrakech and visiting the High Atlas Mountains. Every person we met was incredibly excited to tell us about the deep history of Marrakech and its peoples and excited to know that we would incorporate what we learned into our classrooms.

In the mountains, we visited the town of Imlil, a gateway for hikers and the ancestral home of the Amadigz (Berber) people. We were welcomed into our guide’s home for a delicious meal and shown around their hillside farmlands and innovative water management systems. Now, the photos and videos coming out of the rural communities in the High Atlas Mountains and the city of Marrakech are devastating following the 6.8 magnitude earthquake on September 8th with the loss of life now over 2800 people…2800+ people who all had families, friends and loved ones. 

Earthquakes are not unknown in Morocco, but the last seismic event of this magnitude was in 1960 in the region of Agadir, about 150 miles from Marrakech. Morocco sits on the African (or Nubian) Plate which has an active convergent tectonic plate boundary to the north with the Eurasian plate.

However, the epicenter of this earthquake was in the southern part of the country in the High Atlas Mountains. The timing of the earthquake at night (11:11PM) made it all the more deadly given that many people were asleep in their homes, houses which are often made of mud bricks or unreinforced masonry that came tumbling down, unable to withstand that level of tremors. These rural mountain communities don’t have the infrastructure, resources, or access to medical facilities to respond to a tragedy of this magnitude so the response from international aid organizations is critical. 

In the historic Medina of Marrakech, the streets are narrow and winding, an incredible network of bustling markets, stores, homes, and mosques; many of the buildings are 1000 years old! The earthquake brought some of these historic structures crashing down, left gaping cracks in others and rained debris as people tried to flee to open areas. People are now sleeping outside in the open in the city squares and in the middle of rotaries as they fear for the structural integrity of their homes, or their homes are no longer standing.

Our hearts break for everyone who has lost a loved one in this tragedy and hope that the international aid organizations and foreign governments step up to provide rescue teams and emergency assistance to help the people of Morocco recover from this natural disaster.

This Mother Jones article provides multiple ways to support relief efforts in Morocco through organizations such as Doctors Without Borders, UNICEF and Global Giving. Read more about Ariadne and Tom’s fellowship here and follow their learning on Instagram at @mspglovesrocks and @bradwaysenduringissues.

The  day after Labor Day is synonymous with the official return to the classroom and the age-old prompt: “What did you do this summer?” FFT Fellow Kelsi Horner is hoping students at Shawnee Mission East High School in Prairie Village, KS, ask HER that question. With two colleagues, Kelsi engaged in an immersive experience of the language, history, and culture of Costa Rica to improve Spanish language skills and explore the impact of colonization on Latin American cultures to strengthen relationships with English Language Learners and build culturally responsive, relevant lessons for all students. Kelsi writes:

“Returning to work brings the “what did you do this summer” questions. This summer I had the pleasure of FINALLY getting to execute our 2020 Fund for Teachers fellowship!

Way back in 2020, myself Kristen Reyes, Nancy Blackburn and I applied for a Fund for Teachers grant. We all taught some form of World Regional Studies and wanted to improve our knowledge so that we could improve our instruction to help our students. Well two months after we applied, COVID happened. And our fellowship was put on hold, all the way until this June! Our timing was not the only thing that changed. Due to some political unrest, we decided our location needed to change and Fund for Teachers trusted us.

In June, we finally left for our fellowship! Our first stop was Monteverde. We stayed with three different Costa Rican families and attended Spanish immersion classes in the morning. Both my family and my teacher were very patient (and for that I am very grateful!)!

In the afternoons we tried to learn whatever Monteverde could teach us about environmental geography- from the El Trapiche Tour in Santuario Ecologico, a night walk through Bosque Eterno de los Ninos (lots of creepy crawlies!), and even learned some history (while atop some horses).

We had one more stop before departing- Sarchi! We stopped in Sarchi as it was the birth place of the oxcart (also where they paint them nice and pretty)! A pretty significant item in terms of the movement of goods and a nice way to conclude our adventures.

I cannot say enough good about Fund for Teachers – they are an organization that TRUSTS teachers and wants to keep teachers in the classroom. I hope to let everyone I know, know that this organization exists and that they should take part in it and dream up their own fellowship! Thank you, Fund for Teachers, for making this come true for us! We can’t wait to take this information back to our schools in the next few weeks. Teacher friends- ASK ME! I will help give you all the info you could possibly need! It’s worth it. 

Kelsi Horner is an instructional coach at Shawnee Mission East High School in Prairie Village, Kansas. While currently teaching Student Success Skills, she has taught everything in the social studies world from World Regional Studies to Economics to AP US History. In addition to her work in the classroom, she also assists in the creation of district-wide social studies and world language curriculums. In her free time, Kelsi enjoys entertaining her corgi, Stella.

Fund for Teachers’ fellowships are based on the belief that teachers know best what they AND their students need to succeed. We also believe that teachers know best what our organization needs to most effectively support teachers. That’s why we started our Educator Advisory Council. And that’s why we want you to apply for the two-year term/paid opportunity.

Over the past two years, our Educators’ Advisory Council (EAC) members have helped us:

• Redesign our Fellowship scoring criteria
• Create a new grant program (Innovation Circles) and
• Diversify our Fellow cohorts.

EAC members commit to four two-hour meetings per year, and also complete feedback, pre-work and possible committee work. In return, Fund for Teachers provides a $700 stipend for this approximately 20-hour time commitment. We are committed to hiring a group of Fellows that is diverse in identity, location, and teaching assignment.

You can learn more about this opportunity and apply here.

Applications close on July 8.

When asked why he wanted to join the EAC, Marco Cenabre responded: “I believe in teacher-to-teacher collaboration, and leadership. One of the largest issues in teacher development is the fact that administrators, representatives of organizations, and others far removed from the classroom are the ones constructing the ‘solutions’ and offering them to teachers. It is through teacher innovation, reflection and a wide range of perspective that will spark what’s necessary in order for change to be truly enacted. Being a part of the EAC, and collaborating with others, is an opportunity to offer solutions leading to widespread change.”

We especially want to thank the FFT Fellows pictured above for investing their time as EAC members to take Fund for Teachers’ programming to the next level: (clockwise) Victoria Thomson (East Lyme, CT); Marin Leroy (Asheville, NC); Hyam Elsaharty (Seattle, WA); Marco Cenabre (New Haven, CT); and Rao Olayeye (Spring, TX).

We look forward to receiving your application by July 8th and announcing our newest EAC members by the beginning of August.

In celebration of Teacher Appreciation Week, we want to share our own appreciation for this thank you note from 2023 FFT Fellow David Cruickshank.

With his grant, David plans to research the Japanese culture that has no widespread access to firearms and has built a $2.6 billion flood protection system described as a modern marvel. Then, he’ll build and teach a criminal justice and disaster management trade curriculum for the State of Connecticut Technical High School System’s Criminal Justice and Protective Services program.

Upon returning from his fellowship, David proposed a unique implementation plan.

“I have a very exciting idea that I hope to develop and implement in our pilot program’s Emergency Operations Center, the emergency management curriculum, and push out to other programs — running a simulated disaster in the US with the emergency management procedures of Japan rather than those of FEMA.

I would like to develop a lesson that follows what my students have learned about US disaster management with the way Japan handles disaster management and then compare the two styles with a fictitious disaster and compare and contrast them. I envision the lesson lasting close to two weeks with first learning about the disaster management system and response structure in place in Japan, then simulating a response, and then using it as a springboard to compare and contrast the two systems before the ultimate assignment of challenging the students to design their own “perfect” disaster response framework. I think that encouraging students to not only learn about other cultures but then use that learning to see there are other ways of doing what they thought there was no other way to do, and then create something even different from that, will be mind-bending for them.”

The service-learning aspect of this fellowship, as well as its potential to create a state- and nation-wide emergency response system powered by students, is mind-bending for us, as well! We look forward to seeing the impact made by this FFT Fellow and his students.

This month, social media feeds will be flooded with memes for teacher appreciation and posts about how vital teachers are to our society. At the same time, Fund for Teachers will hand $1.7 million in checks to 396 teachers for summer fellowships they designed. The contrast between memes & money puts into sharp relief America’s attitude toward those with whom we entrust our children: teacher appreciation not validation.

Meet our new grant recipients and learn about their summer itineraries here.

The Latin word part “val” means strength and worth. Consider other words with that root: value, valor, valiant. Even the sound of these words evokes fortitude. Validation carries that same weight. When one validates something or someone, there’s an active acknowledgement associated with seeing, hearing, and knowing. In this light, appreciating something is tantamount to a thumb’s up emoji.

Fund for Teachers validates teachers by trusting them to design their own professional development in the form of summer fellowships. We put no limits on what or where teachers learn. We simply support their pursuit of new knowledge, insight and experiences – with $36 million in grants since 2001. In doing so, we communicate that teachers are professionals worthy of investment.

What does Teacher Validation Look Like?

For our grant recipients last summer, it ranged from documenting the Six Essential Elements of Geography throughout Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan to examining across Alabama various methods of civic engagement utilized in the Civil Rights Movement. It also looks like relying on our Educator Advisory Council for programmatic design to amplify our impact on teachers. And funding Innovation Circles led by Fellows and composed of Fellows to deepen learning around topics in teaching while building community.

But validation doesn’t have to be synonymous with funding. (Our Fellows regularly report simply knowing their ideas merited recognition means as much as the grants.) Validating teachers as professionals can also look like:

• Acknowledging their dedication to assessing and responding to students’ needs, and not just
  the academic ones.
• Affirming their commitment to addressing learning goals in ways that leverage students’
  heritage and lived experiences.
• Applauding their courage to be bodyguards who protect students from bullets. And, yes,
• Advocating for pay increases with your local districts.

And how can we do these things? You’d be amazed at how far an old-fashioned, analog, personalized note can go. Beats a social media meme any day.

Fund for Teachers announced today the names of 396 teachers to receive $1.7 million in grants to experience learning they proposed as vital to their particular students’ success. Because the nonprofit places no limits on what is learned – or where – these teachers will pursue topics as diverse as cacao farming and Yiddish music in locales as far flung as Penland, North Carolina and the fragile Alpine ecosystem of Andorra. Fellowships designed around social emotional learning and culturally sustaining teaching remain among the more common themes.

A complete list of 2023 Fund for Teachers Fellows can be found here.

“Teachers are the backbone of our society,” said Karen Eckhoff, executive director. “They educate, encourage, and empower the children who will shape our future. And in our post-pandemic, school shooting society, their role is even more amplified. There can be no better investment.” 

At a time when large numbers of teachers are leaving the profession due to a myriad of factors, Fund for Teachers grants represent trust in teachers’ professionalism and capacity for meeting the diverse needs of each classroom and student.

Students celebrate with Ben Scudde, teacher at High School in the Community in New Haven, CT. Ben will use his grant to explore how sustainable societies in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Iceland minimize their environmental impact by utilizing renewable energy sources, lowering energy consumption, and lessening waste production to support interdisciplinary student learning about clean energy options and sustainable development.

“The Fund for Teachers fellowship made me feel like I was good at my job, that I was capable of growth, and that I was willing to go the extra mile (or 7,468 miles) to get better at what I do,” said Sarah Slack, teacher at The Montauk School in Brooklyn, NY. With her grant, Sarah researched physical and behavioral traits of gray wolves in natural and artificial settings to support the development of a Genetics, Heredity, and Evolution unit plan that uses the study of wild and domestic canines to anchor the curriculum and promote student engagement.

Since 2001, Fund for Teachers has invested $36 million in more than 9,500 educators, transforming grants into growth for teachers and their students. In addition to its summer fellowships, the organization also re-invests in its Fellows by awarding Innovation Circle Grants to deepen learning around a topic (this year “Centering Students”) — first independently during the summer, then throughout the fall with other Fellows and led by a Fellow. Over the past two decades, FFT Fellows have pursued new knowledge and insights in 170 different countries on all seven continents, with the majority remaining in North America. Visit www.fundforteachers.org for more information or on our organization’s Facebook, Instagram or Twitter accounts.