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

“To forget would be not only dangerous but offensive; to forget the dead would be akin to killing them a second time.” — Elie Wiesel, Night

“It has been almost 80 years since the end of WWII and the horrors of the Holocaust. The survivors of a people’s systematic and institutional genocide are passing away, and their stories are being forgotten. However, the perpetration of genocide and intolerance continues throughout our world. Unfortunately, it seems that the lessons of the past have been pushed aside at times. It is the duty of every educational institution, including our own, to teach and remind students of the history so that they, and those who come after them, actively speak and work to prevent such events from happening again.”

These were the first sentences of the grant proposal submitted by Sandi Burgess and Marymargaret Mineff, teachers at Chicago’s Morgan Park Academy. With a $10,000 Fund for Teachers grant last summer, they gathered materials, impressions, and insights pertaining to the Holocaust across eight European countries to inform the creation of a student-led podcast series around the Five Steps to Genocide.

They shaped their itinerary based on Holocaust sites of deportation, cultural and artistic loss, memorialization and remembrance, and/or forced labor and experimentation with the goal of providing students with primary resources connected to themes of identity, choice, and responsibility. Experiencing sites in Germany, Poland, Austria, Czechia, Hungary, The Netherlands, Belgium, and France surfaced more than historical awareness.

“I think that while I was going through all of these different countries, I saw how each country had chosen to address their truth by maybe not taking away their bias,” Sandi reflected. “As a history teacher I am constantly trying to view history through so many lenses and to address my own bias and saw the result of what happens when you don’t.”

“I know a lot about the Holcaust from scholarly study, but seeing these spaces really made me look differently at the ‘facts’ as I know them,” added Marymargaret. “For example, we could not figure out why Budapest was so ‘different’ from the other places we visited and stayed until we realized that 95% of Budapest Jews did not survive and so the ‘ghetto’ never was repopulated after the war.”

Students are now using these materials in their research and scriptwriting as they curate a series of episodes outlining the history of the Holocaust for middle school and high school peers.

“Our school has a new makerspace and expanded technology center, which contains a small recording studio with video and audio capabilities,” the teachers explained. “Students are using this studio to produce the podcast series. We are also collaborating with our IT and music/broadcasting teacher, who will also be bringing back our
in-house internet radio station.”

Teams of students are now in the process of creating and producing 12-15 episodes on one of five topics:

1. Resistance
2. Rescuers
3. Cultural Genocide
4. Children as Victims, and,
5. Remembrance and Memorialization

Today, for International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Marymargaret and Sandi’s middle school students remembered those who died in the Holocaust with a special ceremony. Students created luminary bags for individuals using small biography cards distributed by the United States Holocaust Museum and Memorial to create their own symbols of remembrance.

“Holocaust education is important and has been important for a long time, but I feel an especially urgent call for Holocaust education in today’s world,” Sandi said. “I hope that from this unit and its projects, our students will share what they have learned with their families and friends. I also hope that their podcast series is a hit and is used by other schools and organizations seeking to help middle level students understand the significance of this history.”

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Marymargaret and Sandi documented their fellowship on Instagram. For more of their learning and photographs, visit @sburgessmpa.

For the past eight years, I have been a middle school social studies teacher in an American Indian pre-kindergarten through eighth grade magnet school. Our school was created by community elders to provide an American Indian perspective and to welcome students of all backgrounds where teaching is rooted in American Indian culture, traditions, values, history and art. The challenge is finding relevant resources to create lessons that are geared toward the school’s mission of teaching from American Indian cultural perspectives.

Some additional background: I grew up the son of a naval officer from the Cold War. It was instilled in me to honor the sacrifices made by all military, but I have always sought more knowledge and information about the contributions made by American Indians, especially during World War II. I grew up with stories about my great uncles landing on the shores of Normandy and have always wanted to visit there and other sites in Europe where the war was fought. A recent article about the dedication of the American Indian Memorial at Normandy renewed my passion.

I combined that passion with the aforementioned curriculum challenge into a Fund for Teachers fellowship. Last summer, after a two-year delay due to COVID, I researched at major European World War II sites the American Indian warriors who fought for their country. In France, Belgium and Luxembourg, I gained first-hand knowledge and experience of this war by visiting some of the major sites, which solidified my own understanding, and I can now share with my students what I have experienced and documented about the American Indian warriors who fought and died there.

Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery-Belgium. Given the choice, 40% of families chose to have their soldier interred in a US cemetery in Europe. As I looked out over this sacred ground, I pondered the difficult choice these families had to make.

Walking the cemeteries of Normandy and Henri-Chapelle and the grounds of the Battle of the Bulge, was a powerful, moving experience. One could still feel the soldiers’ presence, their spirits, 76 years later. The emotion, knowing that these soldiers gave the ultimate sacrifice, was quite raw. Many were teenagers, not much older than my students. I walked the beach at low tide and crouched in a foxhole trying to grapple with what sounds, smells, sights, fears these individuals experienced.

I am proud of my Native American Heritage. My family is very involved in our tribe. Having said that, I am not one to wear my heritage on my sleeve. Furthermore, I am considered an introvert. When we pulled into Normandy’s parking lot-a parking lot full of cars and tourist busses, nervousness and apprehension flooded over me. My wife and friends talked me through this anxiety. I donned my regalia shirt, stepped up to the plate and took my best swing.

At Normandy American Cemetery, I was expecting to say a prayer for three Native soldiers, instead, I said a prayer for five. The guide told about brothers that were buried near each other, Sam and Gafford Sanders-Native soldiers. She asked if I would say a prayer for them. Sand from Normandy’s beaches was rubbed into the engraved name, flags were placed beside the cross. I said my prayer and placed tobacco. I was given the flags from each grave along with the remaining sand. The reception was humbling.

Battle of the Bulge foxhole. After touring the museums and battle sites, as I knelt in this shallow foxhole, it was hard to comprehend the smells, sounds, hunger, terror, cold and confusion that gripped this area in the winter of 1944/45.

When I teach the WW2 unit in the spring, I can incorporate my Fellowship experiences into the unit. The curator of the Henri-Chappelle Cemetery gave me a list of 17 Native Americans buried in US cemeteries, in Europe. The list will be a starting point for a research project honoring Native soldiers. I plan to have students investigate these soldiers, create a display and present their findings at the yearend school and community powwow.

Beyond the classroom, I’m thinking about riding my motorcycle to some of these warriors’ communities during the summer and reaching out to their tribes and family members to share my photos and experiences. Many tribes have cultural centers and/or sections that honor their warriors}. It would mean a great deal if I could share a picture and the flags from the graves with family and tribal centers. It would be such an honor to learn more about these soldiers’ lives.

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Bret Godfrey is a 34-year teacher at American Indian Magnet School in Saint Paul, MN. He teaches 7th and 8th grade social studies. He is also member of the Potawatomi Tribe. Listen to our interview with Bret prior to completing his fellowship on this episode of Fund for Teachers – The Podcast.

Top photo: At the Charles Shay Indian Memorial, Bret said a prayer for all Native American soldiers who fought during the Normandy Beach invasion, including his great uncle.

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

Stephanie used a Fund for Teachers grant to work alongside experts in British public history at the Royal Archives and British Library in London to make historical documents more accessible to the public and create video learning around the reign of the Hanovers and the British Empire during the 18th-20th centuries. (The House of Hanover preceded the current House of Windsor in the British monarchy).

Image courtesy of ThoughtCo/Brianna Gilmartin

Stephanie designed this fellowship to help students learn how to use primary sources, as well as to realize the relevancy of world history.

“The students in the United States have reached a point where they view history as simply a class that has to be had to graduate, and assume that it is not utilized outside of schools,” wrote Stephanie in her grant proposal. “I want to observe and analyze the methods used by England to make those connections between educational history and public history.”

For three weeks during the summer of 2019, Stephanie pursued three initiatives:

1. Research alongside experts in British public history involved with The Georgian Papers Programme at the Royal Archives and in the British Library to make the Hanoverian Documents open to the general public.
2. Analyze public history and how its benefits secondary students at The National Portrait Gallery, British Museum, Museum of London, Tower of London, Windsor, and Hampton Court. And,
3. Create a series of video lessons from these sites to use in the classroom.

See Stephanie’s post-fellowship summary here.

Reading and analyzing correspondence between King George III and Aristarchus, an 18th century spy.

Upon returning home from her fellowship, Stephanie partnered with Dr. Jeff Bibbee, professor at the University of North Alabama, to incorporate the Georgian Papers Programme into her classroom. Together, they taught her students about archival work and its importance in education. Then, the Georgian Papers Programme allowed the students to transcribe Hanoverian Documents — making them the only high school students ever to do so.

“During this fellowship I learned about the collaborative efforts that occur between archivists, public historians and educators. In order to have a true historical and educational experience for students all three have to come together to create and organize historical content in an accessible way for students,” said Stephanie. “This time in Europe  allowed me to make connections with archivists and historians and empowered me to bring primary source content into my classroom, impacting my students for years to come.”

A secondary outcome was demonstrating how learning is accomplished beyond the classroom. Stephanie served as a role model who pursued knowledge and experiences in a variety of individuals and sources — not text books or Google.

“According to the United States Library of Congress, using primary sources fosters active reading and response and makes students question creator bias, purpose, point of view and even their own assumptions,” said Stephanie. “When students learn to compare competing points of views, they become better equipped to be productive and active citizens of our society.”

Top photo features Stephanie (front row/far right) at Windsor Castle, where she toured the Royal Collection Trust archives and transcribed historical documents.

Photo credit, Stephanie Graham. Mural by James Barany, Stockbridge, Wisconsin

Take a closer look at this image.  What story does it tell?  Who do you think is telling the story?

Our Fellow, Stephanie Graham, embarked on an in-depth study of forced migration of the Stockbridge-Munsee tribe from New York to Wisconsin. Not only did her Fellowship lead her to deepen her understanding of the history of her community but it also helped her and her students grapple with important questions like, Who gets to tell History? To learn more about the Stockbridge-Munsee Tribe, you can learn more on these Tribe-created websites:

• History of the Stockbridge Munsee Community
• Brief History of the Mohican Nation
• The Mohican People – Their Lives and Their Lands A Curriculum Unit for Grades Four to Five

Fellow Curated Resources

• Stephanie’s Fellowship Passport
• Art project 1: Altered Book Project
• Art project 2: Hexagon Project

“In the current teaching and understanding of indigenous peoples, students in my school feel very removed from the stories. I have seen this in my high school art classes in the superficial use of imagery in their practice of making objects. I also see it in their lessons in social studies, where the knowledge is presented as history and not as living culture that continues to be affected by westernized notions of stories, practice, and object relevance. Students should be taught to understand their role in the relationship between past atrocities and the current climate of injustice… However, the ideas are almost too abstract for children to understand because they lack a sense of connection to the land, stories, and practices of their place of living and learning. Our land is not only tied to indigenous history, it is also the home of important figures in black history, including Mumbet, Dubois, and others. It is through that connection to “place” that students will better understand their identity, which is necessary in developing a sense of empathy towards the people from whom the place was stolen.” 

Additional Fellow-Created Resources

• Hannah Sherk – How landscapes influence and inspire our creative endeavors.

• Sunny Zheng-Herb – Exploration of Native Alaskan arts and culture.

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Mural Legend

This summer, every Friday is “Fellow Friday” — an opportunity to introduce you to the caliber and creativity of our grant recipients. Generally speaking, the learning our grant recipients pursue falls into recognizable categories: Music Education, American History, Indigenous Studies, English Language Learners, Gender Studies, Astronomy, Holocaust Studies, Global Citizenship, Health & Well-Being, Math Education, World Cultures, Geography, etc. But we couldn’t classify Cynthia Renshaw’s learning  — she’s the only person researching Vikings this year!

Click here for a complete list of grant recipients

The unique nature of Cynthia’s grant reflects one of the most distinctive aspects of our organization, which is the freedom and respect we give teachers to design an experiential learning endeavor that they deem most relevant to their classrooms and careers. How do Vikings fit into that equation? Read on…

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I believe my students will be inspired by the fact that in the wide-ranging seafaring wandering of the Vikings, who travelled by boat as far as North America in the west and Central Asia in the east from about 700 C.E. to 1100, they were being in essence, bands of immigrants. I believe that learning about their Nine Noble Virtues and the Viking social rules of mutual respect will inspire our COVID battered population to cohere. Economic blight, violence, racism, bullying, food insecurity and mental illness continue to create barriers for cultural acceptance in our population. Ornate and meaningful creation, community building through government, currency and trade, a reverence for craftsmanship and commitment to enriching the community with unifying symbols are powerful lessons to be learned from the Viking Age.

I chose Scandinavia due to the popularity of cultural references such as Loki, Thor and Oden and after a student survey confirmed a lack of cultural awareness. The natural beauty and rich artistic contributions of the Viking Age will provide compelling material for lesson plans and discussions. Instead of having a cartoon-like association with this majestic culture, I wish to bring to life the factual wonders of Viking longships and what they brought to the world; examples of superb craftsmanship in Viking engineering and ornamentation as well as the stunning natural wonders of the physical landscape. As we explore together, even though we are all coming from different cultural perspectives, we will find our mutual connections and appreciations of Viking culture actually are not that different after all.

I’m seeking to model the courage of a Viking too: as I travel long and far with unknown companions and chance encounters in a rapidly changing COVID environment. In a world of uncertainly and fear, learning about how a teacher goes about deeply exploring, researching and risk-taking during a cultural immersion is a model of planning, investment and reward. Sadly, positive modeling of an unfamiliar country, state or even neighborhood experience is rare for most of our students, yet they yearn and dream of it. On this professionally designed and guided small group tour over land, sea and air, I will access comprehensive historical resources and travel on the geographic path of the Vikings for 14 amazing days. Thinking with the eyes of a student, and modeling research like an archeologist, I will bring this amazing culture to life back in the classroom using artifacts and personal documentation.

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“Now more than ever, it is imperative that we invest in the most important component of any classroom — the teacher,” said Karen Eckhoff, Executive Director of FFT. “Educators are facing countless challenges every day, and Fund for Teachers is dedicated to further diversifying the ways that we can support them. Our grants represent trust in teachers’ professionalism, creativity, and vision, offering flexibility to meet the unique needs of each classroom, with the students remaining the ultimate beneficiaries as they continue to grow and learn in today’s ever-changing world.”

We look forward to introducing you to more 2022 FFT Fellows next Friday!

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

Click here for a complete list of grant recipients

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Nora Abbott, Jordan Alley, Molly Fredrickson-Leonard, Julia Gudmunson and Julia Vaughn
Invest Collegiate Imagine School – Asheville, NC
Complete multisensory math training at the Siena School in Oakton, VA, to gain knowledge of cutting-edge practices that give students fun and rewarding experiences and provides real-world practice to prepare them for successful lives.

“Our students feel constantly defeated in the general education classroom when faced with concepts that their peers understand easily. Those learning neurons are sometimes permanently closed when trying unsuccessfully to complete math tasks. By presenting students with a system that has been found to be successful in teaching our students reading and writing and applying it to math, we know our students will be engaged and more likely to love what they are doing and persevere.”

Sasha Cameron, Grant Pearson & Kristy Westbrooks | Yoncalla High School, Yoncalla, OR
Participate in the AVID San Francisco Summer Institute to learn key academic supports and curriculum opportunities that use writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization, and reading-based activities that promote college- and career- readiness.

“With this fellowship, we have two learning goals. The first is to provide students with key academic supports. These academic supports will provide students the necessary foundational study skills and practices to be a successful student. These supports are based around WICOR – Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration, Organization, and Reading, and would be the foundation of each teacher’s lesson. The second is that we believe that these supports, in addition to college and career awareness which is an integral component of the AVID curriculum, will provide students the opportunity to explore college and career options earlier and be more prepared forthe avenue they choose in the future.”

Katie Dugas, Jodi Rynearson, & Kimberly Whetzel | Tri-City Elementary School – Myrtle Creek, OR
Attend the “Get Your Teach On” national conference in Orlando, FL, to learn how to foster a safe social and emotional environment in and beyond classroom walls in which students can thrive.

“It is our intent to attend the Get Your Teach On National Conference to meet and learn from the most current and innovative teachers that have proven efficacy in this field. We will bring back with us the tools and ready-to-go lesson plans that will best assist our students in developing these skills. Once these skills are developed, we can then focus our efforts and energy on their academic growth that they will continue to utilize as lifelong learners.”

Tim Dutton | The Bridge Academy Charter School – Bridgeport, CT
Attend the Monterey Bay Math Institute in Santa Cruz and interview professors at UCSC to create a more active, cooperative learning environment that better engages and prepares students for the changing jobs of the future.

“Essentially, I want to work to “gamify” math instruction with the goal of giving students multiple reps with different skills in an environment that makes learning math fun and builds confidence. With the extra paraprofessionals I now have in my classroom, I will be able to run groups small enough to make these games and investigations effective enough to provide accelerated learning and increased engagement. The plan is to make my curriculum at least 30% interactive, truly changing the current structure and flow of the math classroom.“

Donna Kaiser | Stamford High School – Stamford, CT
Participate in the ASM Materials Camp for Teachers at the University of Maryland to learn methods for making math and core science principles more enticing and relevant to high school chemistry students.

“In my urban high school, we lack resources to have state-of-the-art equipment, so the teacher camp in Maryland will provide inexpensive projects and activities to help me as a chemistry teacher to ignite student interest, bring curricula to life, and show practical applications of materials in students’ everyday lives.”

Elizabeth Lucas, Michelle Smith, Cathy Smith, Tara Vance & Amanda Workman
Harts P-8 School | Harts, WV
Attend the Innovative School Summit in Las Vegas to learn strategies for reaching students with a variety of emotional and behavioral challenges and enhance student, school, and the community climate.

“Our students come from a variety of backgrounds ranging from living with grandparents, drug addicted family members or homelessness. Many students, especially those in poverty and those who do not receive family support, are seeing larger learning gaps than those who have family support at home. This fellowship will allow us to immerse ourselves in ways to help our students become resilient and will provide us with strategies and behavior management skills needed to help our students have greater achievement and successes.”

Jason Malli | Vinal Technical High School – Middletown, CT
Attend the Summer World Music Pedagogy Workshop at West Virginia University, SPLICE Institute for Arts and Technology Innovations at Western Michigan University, and Restorative Practices Online at the University of Maine to create opportunities for student self-expression-fostering performance as an experiential, self-paced, recreational, therapeutic, inter-leveled, individualized workshop.

“This experience will help renew my own knowledge of ethnomusicology and learn new manners by which I can share the wonders of unknown or little known music with students and encourage them to use instruments we have in the school to explore new narratives as freely as ancient and indigenous cultures have done for generations.“

Katherine Wetmore | Mathewson Elementary School – New Haven, CT
Attend the ISTE Conference in New Orleans to elevate instructional practices and develop more innovative lessons that challenge students.

“This experience will teach me new and exciting benefits of technology and how to implement them in my classroom. I will build confidence as an educator, learn to guide my students in the practices of being uncomfortable in learning something new, and I will be able to collaborate with experts and teachers from around the globe.“

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“Now more than ever, it is imperative that we invest in the most important component of any classroom — the teacher,” said Karen Eckhoff, Executive Director of FFT. “Educators are facing countless challenges every day, and Fund for Teachers is dedicated to further diversifying the ways that we can support them. Our grants represent trust in teachers’ professionalism, creativity, and vision, offering flexibility to meet the unique needs of each classroom, with the students remaining the ultimate beneficiaries as they continue to grow and learn in today’s ever-changing world.”

We look forward to introducing you to more 2022 FFT Fellows next Friday!

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

Click here for a complete list of grant recipients

This year, we received a surprising number of proposals from teachers wanting to pursue various aspects of farming and agriculture education, including aquaponics, sustainability, school gardens and food deserts. Meet a few of these Fellows extending the walls of their classrooms into their school campuses and surrounding communities…

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Sara Ballard & Julia Welsh | Rockrimmon Elementary IB School – Colorado Springs, CO
Explore the world of hydroponics in the U.S. Virgin Islands to guide fifth graders’ design and construction of a hydroponics system that supports a new transdisciplinary unit of inquiry that connects science standards of plant needs, water on Earth, and the protection of Earth’s resources. (Follow their learning on Instagram @rooted_in_growth5.)

“Hydroponic systems use 90% less water than traditional gardening because a large portion of the water used in soil-based gardening is lost into the ground and not absorbed by the plants. Similar to the US Virgin Islands, water is also a valued resource in Colorado, which has a semi-arid climate and water is a very limited resource. Once back in Colorado, our 5th-grade team will create a 6-week IB unit of inquiry where we teach our students about hydroponic systems and how they relate to ecosystems, plant growth, decomposition, and Earth’s water use. Our school already has a large beautiful pollinator garden and greenhouse on the west side of the school, which is run by our 5th-grade team with help from students. We successfully transformed the garden four years ago and we bring this vast experience to implementing a hydroponics system.”

Amy Duffy, Regan Marti & Ben Noetzel | Monarch Academy Glen Burnie – Glen Burnie, MD
Research in Costa Rica how local organic farming and other sustainability practices benefit local communities and the environment to expand students’ cultural frame of reference and diversify their perspectives on the impact of sustainable farming and the protection of the rainforest.

“Through tours and interviews with locals, we can bring our students a greater volume of primary sources including various plant and animal species of the rainforest, sustainable agriculture practices and an understanding of the importance of a local ecosystem to a community. We can bring first hand accounts from people who live near rainforests on its importance and communities experiencing the positive impacts of local and viable agriculture.”

Lexis Foster | Mohegan Elementary School – Uncasville, CT
Experience farm stays across Spain to develop a working knowledge of health, eating habits and food culture that helps elementary students build awareness of where food comes, its distribution and how it fuels our bodies.

“Seeing the education system lack health and food awareness in my district and curriculum, I am determined to bring my learning back from Spain back to my students. After researching farm stay experiences and cultural immersion opportunities in Spain, I will have a deeper knowledge of where food comes from and its distribution. I want to inspire my students to think about the process it took for the food on their table to arrive to them and how that food is fueling their bodies. Through this fellowship I will bridge my passion for food with my students’ health while encouraging healthy eating habits.”

Lori Howell| Wayland Union Middle School – Wayland, MI
Join an Earthwatch expedition in Costa Rica studying the impacts of climate change on pollinators, then work alongside local farmers attempting to mitigate these changes by planting trees in experimental plots, to replicate a pollinator studies project with students on the school grounds.

“I will be taking personal action to improve our environment today which gives me hope for our future. With our warming planet we are seeing rising sea levels, increased frequency and intensity of weather events, and species loss. These consequences lead to socio-economic impacts for humans including food insecurity, lack of clean water, loss of livelihoods, and negative health impacts. Through this opportunity, I can help mitigate some of these issues in Costa Rica and at home and inspire my students to do the same.”

Summer Johnson | Lodestar Community Charter – Oakland, CA
Lex Schoenberg | Latitude 37.8 High School – Oakland, CA
Volunteer on, then bicycle between sustainable farms from Whistler, British Columbia, to Portland, OR, to create faming programs rooted in critical hope and climate change resistance at two Title I schools. (Follow their learning on Instagram @teachntour.

“The city we live in is stratified by race and class, and a large portion of the population we serve has limited access to fresh and healthy food, to green spaces like parks, farms, gardens, and many lack access to information about nutrition and where their food comes from. Both of us feel confident in our ability to teach about the causes and effects of an unsustainable food system. However, neither of us have first-hand or practical experience with sustainable farming practices, nor do our curricula focus on sustainable alternatives. We feel as though conversations about our food are incomplete without imagining a better future and seeing concrete solutions to the problems we study.”

Brandy O’Neal | Paul Revere Elementary – Chicago, IL
Participate in trainings, conferences, and a farm immersion programs through Shelburne Farms’ Project Seasons for Young Learners, the Soul Fire Farm Immersion in Petersburg, NY, and the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx to learn strategies for integrating nature-based education in my classroom that promote deep learning, identity building, and health and wellness.

“I could read a book, watch webinars, and download curricula—all of which I’ve done before and will continue doing. However, it is essential that I create content that is most meaningful to my school and community. And there’s nothing like experiential learning. Being the student during these journeys will make me a better teacher when I facilitate the same learning experiences for my students.

Matthew Shea | Old Saybrook Middle School – Old Saybrook, CT
Research ways to incorporate regenerative farming, holistic nutrition, and earth healing along the coast of Maine into a physical education and health curriculum that promotes wellness and connection with nature.

“My passion is to give my students the best opportunity to be well- physically, emotionally, mentally, socially and environmentally. I believe to foster this connection, our students need innovative education about mindfulness, connecting with nature, connecting with the food they eat, opening their minds to how they can do their part in making the planet a better place and in turn create a positive and healthy environmental and social climate in the world around them. Through my experiences at Funds for Teachers, I will be able to network with other educators in my field of students and professionals in the world of regenerative farming, wellness and nature.”

Danielle Smith | Tallulah Falls School – Tallulah Falls, GA
Complete in the Ecuador’s Andes Mountains and around the Cotopaxi volcano an outdoor educator course in preparation for the launch of a program that give students a hands-on permaculture experience through the restoration of an old farm on school grounds.

“My learning goal is to advance my knowledge of environmentally sustainable farming practices, outdoor education curriculum, and leadership skills in order to bring that knowledge back to my classroom and start engaging students with meaningful outdoor education projects that begin to eradicate mindless existence. Thinking is powerful. I want to begin to give the power of thought to my students by shaking them out of the ‘normal routine’ of crazy online learning and bring them back out into the natural world, and in biology, I have the perfect subject area to start.”

Surendra Surujdeo-Maharaj | Booker T. Washington High School – Houston, TX
Complete mini-internships with Ohio State University’s Horticulture Division; Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company in Mansfield, MO and Fairchild Botanical Garden in Miami, FL to research the current state of Controlled Environment Agriculture and inform three classes on the use of agriculture as a tool to address climate change and food insecurity. (Follow Surendra’s learning on Twitter @SurujdeoMaharaj.)

“My problem of practice is insufficient knowledge and practice in the areas of climate conscious food production in outdoor and controlled environments, post-harvest processing, quality control, value addition, marketing, and distribution. It is important to address this problem of practice by building a curriculum aimed to address the issue of food insecurity surrounding food deserts in urban schools to bridge the gap between knowledge and practice.”

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“Now more than ever, it is imperative that we invest in the most important component of any classroom — the teacher,” said Karen Eckhoff, Executive Director of FFT. “Educators are facing countless challenges every day, and Fund for Teachers is dedicated to further diversifying the ways that we can support them. Our grants represent trust in teachers’ professionalism, creativity, and vision, offering flexibility to meet the unique needs of each classroom, with the students remaining the ultimate beneficiaries as they continue to grow and learn in today’s ever-changing world.”

We look forward to introducing you to more 2022 FFT Fellows next Friday!

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

Click here for a complete list of grant recipients

Today, we elevate the experiential learning of one of our most intrepid Fellows, Marina Outwater (Long River Middle School – Prospect, CT). When her original fellowship was derailed due to civil war in Ethiopia, she pivoted to pursue her intended topic – the Six Essential Elements of Geography – but in Central Asia, specifically Uzbekistan. Marina’s time there has not been without civil unrest, but we caught up with her on the eve of Eid al-Adha (the second holiest holiday of Islam) to hear about her experiences in this ancient land with a population that is 90% Muslim and that encompasses routes of the historic Silk Road.

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Q: Following you on Instagram, one is easily awed by the landscape and also by the unique nature of your fellowship. You’ve helped herd cattle to a summer pasture in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan, watched a father instruct his three-year-old son in the tradition of eagle hunting and explored abandoned Soviet-era buildings in Tashkent. How would you describe these experiences?

A: Beautiful. The people here are the most hard-working, hospitable and welcoming hosts. When I arrived at the yurts of the nomads who agreed to let me join them, there was a feast waiting for me. When my driver (who also owned the home where I stayed in one town) dropped me off to go to the animal market for a sheep, I asked if I could join and he said, “Sure!” The landscapes are breathtaking and the history is so rich with things I knew little about before coming here.

Q: Fund for Teachers stresses that our grants are not “travel” grants, but opportunities for teachers to pursue what they believe they need to be effective in the classroom — which could mean a workshop across town. How did you decide to craft this particular experience?

A: I moved from teaching sixth grade to seventh grade last year and my colleague and I were supposed to teach the Six Essential Elements of Geography. The learning was so dry that we didn’t even try. Initially, I designed this fellowship to explore the Six Elements in Ethiopia because my students had little knowledge of sub-Saharan Africa and I wanted to add context to the content. But due to the civil war there, I pivoted to another area that we didn’t know much about. Then, I found a contact who could coordinate authentic experiences for me. For example, when I asked if she knew how I could work alongside temporarily nomadic herders, she said, “Let me call someone.”  Tomorrow, I’m going to bake bread with some local women. I’m going to the market to find fabric and then learn to sew a traditional dress with other women. I wasn’t interested in tourist experiences. I wanted to know what it is really like so I can tell and show my students.

Q: You have two children back home who know their mom is crossing deserts and exploring Soviet-era spaces. Are they concerned? Are you?

A: Not at all. I haven’t been afraid once. Like I said, the people and the places are wonderful. I would unreservedly encourage anyone to come here. There have, however, been a few instances that were surprising. For instance, a guide was showing me Uzbekistan’s White House, the official presidential office in Bishkek. The weather is extremely hot and dry, so we were talking beneath a tree where this young man sat. He didn’t move the entire time. Afterwards, my guide said, “That person was part of the secret police.” My 14-year-old son didn’t believe me! Another time, I had to cancel plans to visit a Russian ship graveyard near the Aral Sea because of political unrest. But this gave me the opportunity to ask people about the protests and hear their perspectives.

Q: What do you want your students to get out of your experiences?

A: First I want students to realize that they don’t have to have a lot to be happy. These people are so gracious and kind and live incredibly full and productive lives. I also want them to see commonalities between these people and themselves. And lastly, I want them to see the importance of history and how it shapes today. The Silk Road was operational before the Common Era and facilitated the growth of our modern world. And in a more current example, I sat next to a young man on a plane who talked about how he would love to come to America, then quickly added, “But let me ask you a question. Why do young people not live with their families?” I explained that I believe it goes back to our country being founded on independence and, for us, children going out into the world is a reflection of that. He replied, “Are you telling me that your lifestyle is based on something that happened in 1776?” and I said, “Yes, I am.”

Q: Last question. What would you say to a teacher who is considering applying for a Fund for Teachers grant, but sees you in Uzbekistan and says, “I could never do that”?

A: You don’t have to! Fund for Teachers is all about empowering you to do what YOU need to do. Also, I’ve received two previous grants from organizations that required previous participation and/or training to be awarded. Fund for Teachers just wants you to be passionate about an idea and then they walk you through the application process. There are so many resources to guide you. You don’t have to do something this adventurous. But you do have to do something that benefits your students — that’s at the core of any successful proposal and meaningful fellowship. It all starts with the students.

Follow Marina’s experiences through the Instagram feed she is updating regularly.

Golden Hour in Khiva

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“Now more than ever, it is imperative that we invest in the most important component of any classroom — the teacher,” said Karen Eckhoff, Executive Director of FFT. “Educators are facing countless challenges every day, and Fund for Teachers is dedicated to further diversifying the ways that we can support them. Our grants represent trust in teachers’ professionalism, creativity, and vision, offering flexibility to meet the unique needs of each classroom, with the students remaining the ultimate beneficiaries as they continue to grow and learn in today’s ever-changing world.”

We look forward to introducing you to more 2022 FFT Fellows next Friday!

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

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Growing up, we celebrated Independence Day without fully understanding the meaning, or the purpose, of the holiday–cookouts, family gatherings, and fireworks were what “independence” meant to us. Throughout our years in school, we learned about historic events like the American Revolution, read speeches by politicians about freedom and independence, and recited the “Pledge of Allegiance,” always, of course, ending with the phrase “with liberty and justice for all.” 

As English teachers, we have studied beyond the basics of these events, and have more closely analyzed these words, but it wasn’t until our Fund for Teachers fellowship experience that the enormity of the history, and the weight of the words, became fully apparent to us. 

We’ve all heard “give me liberty or give me death,” and we actually use the speech in our classrooms, but no amount of reading compares to the impact of actually participating in a mock revolution in Boston, or touring the same area where this nation’s founders were bold enough to start a revolution. Our forefathers were literally dying for independence, a right we so often take for granted.

In Philadelphia, we visited the place where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were written, and we stood next to the ultimate symbol for freedom, the Liberty Bell; in New York, we visited Lady Liberty herself. Nothing could have prepared us for the weight carried by the experiences of those who were there before us, the people who paved the way for our current freedoms.

In Washington, D.C., we witnessed firsthand the memorials constructed in remembrance of our country’s journey to independence. We felt the impact of those who sacrificed their lives for the independence we have today; there, we thought about the families they left behind–all for the freedom they believed in, the freedom they wanted each of us to experience. We stood in the place where Dr. King expressed his dream for the future, a dream for freedom, independence, and equality for all.

We experienced what it meant to have our safety, our security, and our independence threatened when we visited the September 11 Museum and felt the devastation that an attack on our freedom could have–an attack that happened during our own lifetimes.

These experiences showed us how each of the freedoms we are now afforded stems from brave people standing up against oppression of some kind. Each of these experiences taught us something about independence, bravery, and most importantly, about those people who were involved–people with unfathomable courage and determination, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. 

Through each of these experiences, though, we also began to understand that “liberty and justice” isn’t yet “for all.” Everyone in this country, and many people across the world, currently are not afforded all of the freedoms, all of the independence, they should have. Everyone isn’t able to express themselves freely. Everyone in the world can’t worship freely. Everyone isn’t free from want or free from fear. Though our country and the world have overcome so much in terms of independence and in individuals living freely, realistically, everyone isn’t free just yet. 

Like many, before this journey, we took our freedom for granted. The independence we are afforded now didn’t come freely to others, and for some, these freedoms still don’t come freely. We experienced places where history was made–places where independence was won. We were surrounded by information about those who were brave enough, and those who were bold enough, to make history and to fight for the freedom and independence they believed in. 

Thanks to Fund for Teachers and this fellowship, our view of independence has been transformed. Though the places we visited were significant in history, the lessons we’ve taken from these places are more relevant today than ever. This Independence Day, we will stop to reflect on the experiences we had and the brave people who came before us to ensure our right to be free–and we’ll think about those people currently fighting for freedoms and for their independence still to come.

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

Click here for a complete list of grant recipients.

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Cristina Bettesworth & Anna Villegas | Highland Elementary School – Reedsport, OR

Document prominent sties relevant in US History from the 1600s-1800s, particularly the westward expansion, Oregon Trail and gold rush, to develop a working knowledge and database of resources that engage third graders with a high level of adverse childhood experiences.

“Rich, historical content was never a focus in teacher preparatory classes, where reading and math is generally the focus. Another huge roadblock for us in the classroom is the lack of access to materials to teach history in a meaningful way. We currently do not have any history curriculum and have to pull from a variety of resources to present any history to our students. Our learning goal is to educate ourselves better in US history so that we are able to convey the importance of topics to students”

Tracy Dunn | Franklin School of Innovation – Ashville, NC

Survey with a questionnaire adapted from the Library of Congress’ Veterans History Project eyewitnesses to American military actions in southeast Asia between 1965 and 1975 to develop resources that teach the consequences of America’s military presence and actions for civilians in conflict zones.

“While American educators have the resources to teach the causes and consequences of our military presence and military actions for Americans, we do not have the resources to teach the consequences of our military presence and actions for civilians in conflict zones. My meaningful examination of civilian eyewitness accounts of American military actions will fulfill and expand upon state standards and provide the full history that American educators need.”

Shira Engel | Elm City Montessori School – New Haven, CT

Conduct on-the-ground research in Washington, D.C. and attend the Bard College Institute for Writing and Thinking’s “Thinking Historically Through Writing” to create two primary documents-based American History units that integrate history, reading and writing into a Humanities experience for Montessori students.

“My first learning goal is to learn about the history of the United States in ways that, to use Howard Zinn’s words, “emphasize the role of working people, women, people of color, and organized social movements in shaping history” through touring key historical sites in the nation’s capital. My second learning goal is to use my research to develop two American history units that use primary sources as key materials of study: one on the founding of the United States and another on American social movements.”

Hannah Jones, Bethany Seal & Heather Serpas | West Harrison High School – Gulfport, MS
Contextualize American history from Washington, D.C. to Boston, MA, to create a new unit celebrating and reflecting the diversity of our students and bring to life literary texts used in the classroom.

“Our goal is to spark student knowledge a d curiosity by contextualizing historic & literary pieces with stories we’ll tell, pictures we’ll show and videos we’ll create from our experiences — and by adding a new unit where authors and texts more closely reflect the diverse students sitting in our classrooms, ultimately leading to a student driven research project.”

Ray Walters & Kurt Zimmerman | Highville Charter School – New Haven, CT
Garret Griffin | East Rock Community Magnet School – New Haven, CT

Experience UNESCO sites associated with the enslavement of people in Connecticut, Louisiana, as well as related museums in Massachusetts and Washington D.C. to facilitate culturally-relevant and emotionally-thoughtful classroom conversations about the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade.

“In our practice as teachers, we have found that when the topic of slavery is brought up, the majority of the children, who happen to be children of color, frequently respond with frustration, dismissive embarrassment, laughter and/or silence. Addressing the embarrassment and shame encountered during conversations around slavery is critical for building our capacity to provide effective classroom instruction that instills cultural pride. Additionally, it improves our ability to facilitate dynamic classroom discussions that provide a voice of pride for African American children and other children of color.”

“Now more than ever, it is imperative that we invest in the most important component of any classroom — the teacher,” said Karen Eckhoff, Executive Director of FFT. “Educators are facing countless challenges every day, and Fund for Teachers is dedicated to further diversifying the ways that we can support them. Our grants represent trust in teachers’ professionalism, creativity, and vision, offering flexibility to meet the unique needs of each classroom, with the students remaining the ultimate beneficiaries as they continue to grow and learn in today’s ever-changing world.”

We look forward to introducing you to more 2022 FFT Fellows next Friday!

Today, millions of people received a “Breaking News” alert from The New York Times with the heading: “Over 500 Native American children died at U.S. schools where they were forced to live between 1819 and 1969, an initial federal inquiry found.” This is old news to FFT Fellow John Goodwin, who teaches U.S. History, Native American History, and an interdisciplinary research and writing course at BASIS Phoenix. In March, his book Without Destroying Ourselves: A Century of Native Intellectual Activism for Higher Education was released and this summer he will further his research to increase students’ exposure to diverse primary history sources.

With his Fund for Teachers grant, John will conduct research at the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) in Washington DC to build two project based learning experiences that raise awareness of Indigenous experiences at American Indian boarding schools and enhance the physical and digital presence of one such site in Phoenix.

“So much of Indigenous history is understandably viewed under a dark shadow of colonialism, with all the violence and dispossession that comes along with it,” wrote John in this blog post. “It can be difficult, especially for young students, to work through a careful study of this history with any sense of optimism left. And yet, if we look closely at the words and actions of Indigenous people themselves, we still see it. We see not only a bare sense of resilience and survival but at times a true optimism and an infectious energy that comes from leaders’ ability to highlight and target shared opportunities for growth within struggle.”

The first phase of John’s fellowship will include documenting content and artifacts at the NMAI and taking advantage of the archival databases at the NMAI Cultural Resource Center in Suitland, MD and the National Archives. Afterwards, he will conduct additional research at Phoenix’s Heard Museum before heading to Fort Lewis College in nearby Durango, CO — a four-year college that once served as an American Indian boarding school.

“Using my catalog of observations, images, narratives from visitors, and archival documents in the subject area, I will curate a large collection of materials that will transform the capstone project experience for my students,” wrote John in his grant proposal. “Specifically, students during the final 5 to 6 weeks of the course will work in groups to develop proposals for action that use these public history sites as models, with the goal of improving the Phoenix Indian School Visitor Center, once an American Indian boarding school.”

While today’s news alert elevates once again the tragic experiences of Native American children and their families, John also sees a story of growth and resilience within struggle.

“A lot of the students who went through those schools went on to be leaders in their communities, and in fact in a wide range of American settings, both Native and non-Native spaces,” he said when we reached out to him today. “Often they did so while still maintaining tribal languages and cultural connections. I think the students I teach—and probably most American students—can really learn from those types of stories. I think those stories keep us tapped into what is best and most intriguing about our identity as Americans, without white-washing it or unnecessarily painting it through rose-colored glasses. And for our students here in Phoenix, I see the boarding school site as an often overlooked location that could be highlighted and enhanced as a public history site for students and the wider community.”

Top photograph courtesy of Colorado Public Radio News.

On the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, we appreciate these words and plans of FFT Fellow Patrick McCarney (Stonington High School – Stonington, CT). Patrick is a 25-year teaching veteran who teaches a variety of social studies courses to 100 students, including two sophomore classes called Great Movements of the Sixties, two junior sections of AP US History and a 9/11 class comprised of upperclassmen. Next year he will teach a new, semester-long class called Global Wars, which focuses on World War I and II.

Recently, there has been a decline in interest for social studies courses offered at our school. As a result, there has been a reduction in course offerings and a decrease in the number of sections of particular courses. As a member of the social studies department, I feel a responsibility to find new ways to stimulate student interest and increase enrollment in our department’s offerings, and I am inspired to create story driven lessons that allow my students to explore and better understand people living in other times and places.

According to award winning documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, “storytelling is the most powerful tool for human connection. Weaving stories into [classroom] instruction…helps students connect to and retain information.” Embracing Ken Burns’ philosophy, on my fellowship I will visit World War II landmarks, museums, and monuments in New Orleans, Hawaii, and California to gather the stories of those on the battlefront and the home front—young soldiers, women, and minorities—to make the diversity of the American war experience more visible for students.

NEW ORLEANS

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Barbara Tuchman wrote, “students need to imagine the lives of people who have lived in the past….” The National WWII Museum in New Orleans will provide me the framework in which to explore, collect, and integrate into my curriculum the WW II experiences of individuals and groups. I will spend three days at the museum.

• Day one will include a “Campaigns of Courage” small-group tour of the “immersive, interactive European and Pacific Theaters.”
• On the second day, I will participate in a “Behind the Lines” workshop during which I will handle WW II artifacts. I am particularly interested in this program because artifact exploration is something I want to incorporate into my curriculum. Allowing students to see and touch history stimulates student inquiry and investigation.
• On my last day at the museum, I will attend a “Lunchbox Lecture” by World War II scholars and storytellers. Lecturing is a teaching approach I occasionally use in my classroom. This lecture series intersperses content with learning activities, and I am excited to learn from uniquely qualified individuals.

HAWAII

In addition to the National WW II Museum, I want to visit the places where the war shaped our nation. By walking the ground where history happened and learning from ranger-guided tours, I will become that storyteller for my students. I will spend four days in Hawaii—ground zero for US entry into the war. During my stay, I will:

• Tour the USS Missouri, and stand on the spot where the Japanese officially surrendered in 1945.
• Travel by boat to the USS Arizona Memorial, a sunken battleship that is the final resting place for over 900 sailors.
• Visit the USS Oklahoma Memorial that honors the 429 servicemen killed when Japanese torpedoes destroyed the ship.
• Experience the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum and see Japanese and US fighter planes that attacked and defended Pearl Harbor on that infamous day.
• Go to the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and board one of the few remaining submarines used during the war, and
• Culminate with a visit to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific where I will pay my respects to the 13,000 interred soldiers of the Pacific Theater.

CALIFORNIA

From Hawaii, I will travel to San Francisco to view the SF City Museum’s collection of newspaper articles and photos of Japanese relocation from the city. I have scheduled an appointment to meet with the curator and make copies of articles detailing the city’s removal efforts. The Presidio—the US Army’s Western Command—is also in San Francisco. The Presidio’s museum has a special exhibit I will attend called “Exclusion.” The exhibit chronicles the Presidio’s pivotal role in Japanese American incarceration and “invites visitors to investigate the choices…that led to this dark chapter in American history.”

A short distance from San Francisco is the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park. I will take a day trip to Richmond to learn about the challenges and hardships women confronted during the war years, such as workplace discrimination and dangerous working conditions at the Richmond shipyard. The highlight of my visit will be the Education Center’s “Rosie Fridays,” a guest speaker program with a real WW II home front worker. Coupled with the interactive exhibits and a docent-led tour, I will learn how WW II-era women worked, lived, and persevered. Including the breadth and depth of women’s contributions is very important, especially for my female students who need to see and hear “themselves” as active participants in the nation’s past. “Herstory” does not rewrite history, but it does provide different perspectives and judgements about what is important.

My last stop in California will be a day trip to the town of Martinez and the Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial. The memorial honors the 320 sailors and civilians who died in a munitions explosion in 1944. The majority of the deaths were black sailors working for the racially segregated military. This tragedy was a catalyst for the desegregation of the US Navy. Visiting this memorial allows me to explore the valiant—and often overlooked—contributions to the defense of our nation of African Americans.

STUDENT IMPACT

One of my high school’s 21st century learning expectations is titled “Connect,” and requires students to “become participative members in the social and civic community.” My fellowship’s focus on the stories and contributions of those who served in WW II will manifest itself in a Memorial Day “armed forces” luncheon for current and retired service members. The luncheon will be held at the local VFW and co-hosted by the local Lions Club and my students. The Lions Club will prepare the food and my students will advertise and organize the event, which will include a color guard, opening and closing statements, a keynote speaker, and entertainment. Gratitude unexpressed is easy to overlook, and the luncheon will allow my students to “salute” our community’s current and former servicemen and women.

SCHOOL COMMUNITY IMPACT

I plan on engaging the community in a number of ways. One of our town’s elderly residents served in World War II and was part of the D-Day invasion. He has agreed to share with my students his first-hand perspective of the most pivotal battle of WW II, one that was fought and won by citizen soldiers, like himself. I have also arranged a field trip to the Home – WWII Foundation, a local museum devoted to sharing the stories of those of fought in the war. Tim Gray, a WW II filmmaker and the museum founder, has agreed to lead a discussion about a WW II documentary he produced, allow students to handle WW II artifacts he has collected, and invite WW II veterans to share their oral histories with my students. Additionally, I am planning a town-wide event/exhibition on World War II in partnership with the local historical society.

HISTORY

Texts are often devoted to coverage rather than depth, and important events or people are reduced to a few sentences or a paragraph at best. This does not stimulate most students. Stories, however, not only transport students back into history, but the colorful characters, complex challenges, and believable settings inspire enthusiasm. Everyone has a story worth being told. I want to use stories to pique students’ curiosity to the point that they become invested in their own learning.

At Oregon’s John Day Fossil Beds

The initial learning goals for my fellowship focused on my relative lack of knowledge about geological science. When I lead my students through explorations of the geological timescale, fossils, and distribution of resources, I stick close to published curricula to ensure that I provide them with factual information. With my Fund for Teachers grant, I sought to contextualize this science in our geographic space of the Western US and to learn enough to provide connections to which my students can relate. I planned a two-week RV road trip itinerary circling from Portland, Oregon, down the coast to Los Angeles, over to Arizona, and up through Utah and Idaho. 

As I researched sites of interest along this route, I noticed the prevalence of Indigenous cultural sites, museums, and partnerships between the National Parks and Indigenous Nations. After a day of planning and writing, I shared my excitement with my 9- and 11-year-old children, who would be my travel partners. My daughter’s reaction added another primary learning target: “There are still Native Americans?” I was aghast that her formal learning in elementary school and our casual learning as a family had left her with this thought.

My itinerary shifted to ensure that we learned together both about modern Indigenous culture and the events that lead us to the intentional erasure of history.

I approached this learning with humility, respect, and an understanding that the lands I was planning to visit were taken from people who lived in and cared for these places since time immemorial. Three sites in particular stand out for providing opportunities to learn from Indigenous people: The Heard Museum in Phoenix, the visitors center in Bryce Canyon National Park, and the Utah Museum of Natural History in Salt Lake City.

The Heard Museum (picture courtesy of kid101.com) is an art museum with a beautiful collection of traditional and modern American Indian art. It houses a powerful collection that showcases the diversity and commonalities of Indigenous art and craft. The portion of the museum that left us in quiet contemplation, however, was not the stunning artwork. Upstairs, there is an exhibit that documents the experience of American Indian boarding schools. Through a collection of historic documents, photographs, and recorded interviews, the exhibit conveys the horror of the intentional cultural genocide, as well as the resilience of the students, who found ways to preserve their identity. Our visit coincided with news reports of the mass graves in Canada.

Standing at the Grand Canyon

With this experience center of mind, we continued north through the Grand Canyon National Park, the Navajo Nation, and into Bryce Canyon National Park (top picture). In the Bryce Canyon Visitors Center, there is an exhibit called Native American Perspectives. Through interviews, representatives from several nations communicated a clear theme: You are always on Indigenous land. These parks which are your vacation that you will enjoy for a week are sacred. We have lived here for tens of thousands of years and we are still here.

Traveling onward, we visited the Utah Museum of Natural History. The Native Voices exhibit again showed the rich cultural history and the dispossession of land and resources. This exhibit had an additional focus: “We are among you. We are not limited to reservations. We are thriving, preserving our heritage, and teaching our children to continue our legacy ever stronger into the future.

At the Heard Museum, there is a placard referring to Navajo weaving that stuck with me. It reads:

“All at once, hundreds of years of songs, prayers, and traditions come together in every contemporary Navajo textile. All at once, an artist’s idea crystalizes. All at once, the artist’s years of training and practice combine to make the idea a reality.”

Together, these three exhibits provided me with a perspective of the “all at once” message that I internalized on this fellowship: I personally benefit from a brutal history of genocide and dispossession. I am always on Indigenous land. I have an opportunity and responsibility to incorporate this history and contemporary reality into my students’ learning.

View more of Melody’s photographs on her Instagram page.

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Melody Childers (pictured on her fellowship at the Grand Canyon) teaches middle school science at Beaverton Academy of Science and Engineering in Beaverton, Oregon. She enjoys writing curriculum that present students with an opportunity to learn about current scientific challenges in a solutions-focused context. Melody has worked with the Bonneville Environmental Foundation on solar, hydrogen, and renewable natural gas technology project-based units. She sees outdoor recreation as a pathway to develop a stewardship mindset in students.

Forty years ago, the United Nations declared September 21 the International Day of Peace to, according to the event website, “provide a globally shared date for all humanity to commit to Peace above all differences and to contribute to building a Culture of Peace.” FFT Fellow Amanda Hope (Dallas) committed her Fund for Teachers grant to this same cause last summer by examining in Birmingham, Montgomery and Selma, AL, various methods of civic engagement utilized in the Civil Rights Movement. She chose to conduct this research to then teach students at Moseley Elementary not only learn what it means to be a citizen, but also what it means to be an active and engaged citizen who strives to make a positive impact on their communities and nation. We asked her a few questions about her learning  and plans for student learning this year:

Standing before the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, AL.

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Why did you design this particular fellowship?

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Given the current political climate of our country, teaching civic education in schools is imperative. Students need to not only learn what it means to be a citizen, but also what it means to be an active and engaged citizen who strives to make a positive impact on their
communities and nation.

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Can you describe a specific moment from your fellowship that is particularly memorable?

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One experience I had during my fellowship was learning about my own family members who were some of the unsung heroes of the Civil Rights Movement in Alabama. Words cannot express the pride I felt when I saw my two uncles, Ulysses Blackmon, Jr. and James Gildersleeve, featured in an exhibit at the National Voting Rights Museum in Selma, AL. Seeing my uncles being honored reminded me that anyone, no matter their social standing, can play a role in the greater collective good.

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What are some specific plans you have to implement your fellowship in the classroom?

[minti_dropcap style=”circle”]A[/minti_dropcap] My specific plans are to reintroduce my students to the “Good Citizens” unit that is a part of our curriculum. The goal of this project is for students to identify what a citizen is and develop an understanding of their roles as citizens in the classroom, school, community, state, and nation. The product of this unit will be a multi-media presentation that will be exhibited on our classroom website. I want this unit to be an opportunity for them to learn not only about the roles of citizens in a society, but I also want them to learn that citizenship is a right that has been denied to many. I will do this by specifically focusing on the civil rights denied to African Americans in the American South and their struggle to be recognized as full citizens. Our study of the Civil Rights Movement with a focus on the state of Alabama will allow my students to gain a deeper understanding of how civic engagement can be used as a tool to shape
legislation and pressure lawmakers to protect the rights of all U.S. citizens regardless of their race, class, religion, sexuality, gender, etc. I want my students to see how everyday citizens can unite and organize around a problem and/or injustice in our communities and our society-at-large. My plan is to introduce my students to how citizens can utilize civic engagement strategies to push policy makers to create and implement change for the greater good.

[minti_dropcap style=”circle”]Q[/minti_dropcap] What is one way you can leverage your fellowship to create an authentic learning experience for students?

[minti_dropcap style=”circle”]A[/minti_dropcap] I would definitely like to use this fellowship as a means of getting my students more involved with our community. My plan is to get students to start thinking about a problem or injustice within our school community and begin to brainstorm ways to get involved and put their ideas into action. I think allowing my students to determine a problem and figure out ways to address it will allow for them to feel a sense of connection and autonomy regarding how we decide to civically engage.

[minti_dropcap style=”circle”]Q[/minti_dropcap] What did your fellowship teach you about teaching peace?

[minti_dropcap style=”circle”]A[/minti_dropcap] My fellowship taught me that achieving peace is always active and never passive and that everyone plays a role. I hope to instill within my students the value of seeing themselves as vital and active stakeholders in the pursuit of peace and justice in our communities, nation, and world.

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Amanda Hope is a K-5th grade Gifted/Talented Program teacher at Nancy Moseley Elementary in Dallas, Texas. Amanda has served as a classroom teacher for nearly 10 years. She most recently received the 2020-2021 Campus Teacher of the Year award at her school. In addition to teaching, Amanda is a senior policy fellow with Teach Plus, an organization that empowers teachers to advocate for policy changes at local, state, and federal levels to increase equitable opportunities for students. You can follow Amanda on @crayonsandsacapuntas.

Sixty-six years ago today, fourteen-year-old Emmett Till was lynched and shot for allegedly flirting with a young white woman at her family’s store in Money, MS. His body was recovered from the bottom of the Tallahatchie River three days later. Brandon Barr‘s students in Chicago are the same age as Till was when he died. Brandon felt that similarity would resonate with his English students in a powerful way. This FFT Fellow plans to add anecdotes and artifacts gathered from his exploration of sites associated with Till’s murder, as well as Civil Rights sites in Memphis, to develop a unit focused on his life and the legacy of his death. Brandon shared his motivation and plans for students below…

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As a veteran middle school teacher, a lot has changed over the course of my career, including learning standards, forms of standardized testing and the novel uses of emerging technology. For the most part, I have been able to navigate these changes well. One change that I have not been as quick to adapt to is creating curricular opportunities for students to think about why advocating for equity is important in history and in the present day.

The Civil Rights Movement is rife with historical moments that are sad and unfortunate. I have seen a number of my colleagues, and I include myself in this, who have taught in a way that victimize African Americans. While it is true that many African Americans were victims of living in segregated and oppressive societies, the Civil Rights Movement is also rife with examples of individuals asserting their collective power and resistance in fighting oppression. I am looking to reframe how I have taught history from the this time period to focus more on empowerment while also improving the accessibility of learning materials and increasing engagement for all learners. My students need to see examples of what it means to fight for justice in order to be ready to engage in “good trouble” when they encounter injustices and inequity in the future.

To that end, every year I try to teach about Emmett Till because his death has a significant legacy; it is often evoked when injustices happen in the present. I want to make the case study that I do with students more robust and highlight the actions of both Till’s mother and uncle. Both acted in ways that demonstrate agency and upstander behaviors, and my goal is to highlight their actions rather than leave my students focusing solely on the brutality of Till’s death. I think I can teach this history in a deeper way that shows the impact that direct confrontation of inequity and injustice can have when deployed in a strategic fashion. That’s why I designed this particular fellowship and joined Fund for Teachers’ Equity cohort with an Innovation Circle Grant. Next week, I will visit the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis and the Emmett Till Interpretive Center in Sumner, MS, to strengthen my instructional approach to this period of his history using an equitable lens for how the information is shared and presented to my students.

In thinking specifically about equity, there is the principle of direct confrontation that dictates that there is no path to equity that does not involve a direct confrontation with inequity. When we think about the historical legacy of the Civil Rights Movement, we see the power of individuals actively confronting inequity. The actions of individuals created real change because of their engagement and advocacy. I want my students to understand that African Americans lived (and in many instances still live) in environments that sought to diminish their collective power and privilege. I want students to see the creativity that many individuals demonstrated in finding solutions that fought inequity and dramatically improved the quality of life that African Americans can have in the United States because of their direct action. By extension, I want students to think about problems in the world today that stem from inequity and reflect on how they may use their collective voices and actions to induce change.

In 2010, Brandon received a Fund For Teachers grant to explore Holocaust and WWII sites, meet with survivors, and build a relationship with a partner school in Berlin, Germany. From that experience, he became a regional consultant for IWitness and was present for the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Read more about that experience on his blog published by Facing History & Ourselves. (Photo of Brandon courtesy of the USC Shoah Foundation.Top photo of Emmett Till courtesy of the Southern Poverty Law Center.)