Blending Craft and Technology

Challenges facing Lora Taylor’s students at STEM School Chattanooga:

– Diverse backgrounds with a wide range of learning needs

– Desire to apply STEM skills to creative and real-world projects

– Title I School with 44% minority enrollment

Advantages for Lora Taylor’s students: Lora Taylor

STEM School Chattanooga is a public high school deeply committed to project-based learning that equips students with essential skills for a technology-driven world. At the heart of this learning is digital design and fabrication, where students bring their ideas to life using a variety of tools, including 3D printers, laser cutters, electronics, CNC routers, and other equipment that harnesses 21st-century technology. This innovative environment allows students’ talents and interests to shine.

“My students come from diverse backgrounds, with some having limited exposure to high-quality STEAM experiences before entering STEM School,” Lora explains. “However, they have a strong desire to build skills and engage in activities that connect with their interests, from technology and engineering to artistic design. They are eager to explore new tools and ideas, especially those that blend creative expression with technical skills.”

Lora sought to incorporate more of the creative process and traditional craftsmanship into her teaching, enhancing her digital fabrication curriculum with hands-on, artistic elements. A veteran STEM teacher who has conducted National Science Foundation-funded research, Lora recognized that incorporating artistic elements could enrich her students’ learning experience. To address this, she designed a Fund for Teachers fellowship to participate in a woodworking workshop at Snow Farm: The New England Craft Program. “Woodworking challenged me to embrace patience and persistence, reminding me that learning is a journey rather than a destination,” Lora reflects. “Professionally, I learned how hands-on learning and embracing mistakes can inspire creativity and resilience in my students.”

Today, Lora is bridging the gap between her school’s focus on STEM and her students’ interests in art and design. Students are applying the engineering design process through iterative prototyping, just as Lora refined her wood carvings. They are actively designing, testing, and improving their solutions, combining artistic elements with technical skills in projects that are both meaningful and inspiring.

“My students are learning that mistakes and adjustments are part of the innovation process,” says Lora. “This approach fosters creativity, problem-solving, and perseverance—qualities that align with both engineering principles and the creative processes I explored during my fellowship.”

Using Historical Horrors to Face Modern Monsters

According to Monster.com’s article “The Scariest Jobs Ranked by Phobia,” teaching is one of the scariest professions out there. FFT Fellows Allison Friedman (Channel View School for Research – Rockaway Park, NY) and Carmela Gandolfo-Birkel (Baldwin High School – Baldwin, NY) decided to lean into fear – specifically by exploring horror.

“Students, teachers, and community members have had a lot to fear in the years since the Covid-19 pandemic: AI, climate change, and gun violence, for instance,” wrote Allison and Carmela in their proposal. “Sometimes these fears can cause people to lash out. It is of vital importance that we teach our students a healthy way to process their fears–both real and imagined. We are interested in guiding our students through examining what does it mean to face fears as an individual and as a society? How do we overcome fears?”

Last summer, the friends leveraged a $10,000 Fund for Teacher grant to collaborate on a fellowship exploring how Britain’s 18th and 19th-century authors were inspired by gothic architecture. Their motivation: Guide students in the crafting of horror stories that metaphorically examine society’s anxieties about the drastic changes caused by the Industrial Revolution.

Their learning included:

– examining areas that highlight the impacts of the Industrial Revolution that alarmed the public, as well as the gothic architecture and landscapes that inspired authors during this period of drastic changes;
– considering how people in the 18th and 19th centuries confronted their fears through gothic fantasy and how we and our students can use this to confront our own fears;
– experiencing locations that are key parts of Britain’s industrial heritage and tell stories of people and landscapes changed by advances in medicine, technology, engineering, and science;
– seeking examples of gothic architecture and local ghost stories, and;
– visiting spooky castles and haunted prisons.

As we hear from so many Fellows, the power of place – of actually experiencing sites previously accessed only in books or the Internet – took learning to the next level and will now spark similar learning with their students. “I studied medieval and Restoration literature, but these subjects are not taught in high school,” explained Allison.

“I visited Whitby to learn about Dracula, but stumbled upon a cross dedicated to Caedmon, the first English poet, whose work was the first text I translated while learning Old English. I also came across Aphra Behn’s tomb in Westminster Abbey (one of the first professional women writers). I remembered what I feel passionate about, and now focus on how I can help my students find their own literary loves.”

**Sense of History**
Stairs worn by the passage of hundreds of years of human steps, beautiful stained glass and tapestry created by artisans from long ago, the tomb of a king, and catacombs containing thousands of nameless dead.
Touching the past.

Students at Baldwin High School and Channel View School for Research are now not only studying Frankenstein and Dracula, but also more modern-day monsters.

“We are incorporating excerpts from gothic novels and an examination of ‘monsters’ of the Industrial Age into our curriculum to show our students the universal themes that remain relevant today,” said Allison. “We are guiding our students through several examples of horror as a reactionary genre inspired by societies that are fearful of change and introducing the concept of how horror is shaped by the zeitgeist.”

After reviewing artifacts from the trip and learning about the original gothic stories, students are studying the American gothic tradition, supported by a trip to Sleepy Hollow to experience one of America’s first ghost stories. Students will then examine 20th-century gothic writers, including Joyce Carol Oates and Shirley Jackson, before analyzing how today’s gothic tales examine current fears.

“In addition to our individual goals [as world history and ELA teachers], we also looked at fear through different lenses on our fellowship,” said Carmela. “By challenging ourselves to face our own fears during ghost walks and visits to local hauntings, we learned how to make what is scary less frightening.”

Allison added: “By understanding the history of the fear of change, we are now developing practical ways to confront these fears in our own time. While some fears are based on fantasy, others come from real threats. Being able to differentiate between the two and process the emotions that result from fear will benefit us along with our students.”

Back to the Future via Fund for Teachers

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

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

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

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

Why Vietnam? Why Now?

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

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

The Fellowship

The purpose of my fellowship was twofold:

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

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

Vietnam

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

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

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

Singapore

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

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

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

Posing by a model boat that would carry refugees.

Malaysia

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

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

The Philippines

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

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

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

PeaceTrees Vietnam

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

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

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

Back To School

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

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

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

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

Summer Reading

For decades, summer reading and school year syllabi have included The Great Gatsby, and James Sheridan’s AP English Literature class at Houston’s YES Prep East End Secondary is no exception. This spring, however, his personal experience with the text will far eclipse anything his students could Google related to the novel, the film starring Leonardo DiCaprio, or the Tony-award winning Broadway musical.

“I designed this fellowship because I want The Great Gatsby‘s world to have a conversation with the 2024 world of my students,” James explained. “I want them to feel the ways that the book and its often-doomed characters can connect with and reflect their own life experiences (and those of their families).”

Yes Prep East End Secondary is situated in the working-class East End neighborhood, in near-view of the city’s ship channel and industrial port — the busiest in the United States. It is an area rich in history from the founding of Houston to a vital role in the Texas Revolution. It is also crisscrossed with freight trains carrying goods from all over, often resulting in stopped trains. Some people claim that more trains stop here than anywhere else in the country! However, only a few miles away from their neighborhood are, figuratively, our Houston versions of West and East Egg, containing very wealthy communities, downtown arenas for Houston’s professional basketball and baseball teams, and a world-class museum district and medical center. In other words, James’s students navigate a complicated landscape of working-class realities as well as stunning wealth. Just like Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby.

That landscape came to life in June, as James set off with his wife and two children to document the context and characters described in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Great American Novel.

“Driving in through some dense traffic on a Tuesday morning, we recreated Nick and Gatsby’s famous drive into the city in Chapter 4, the drive featuring Gatsby’s tales of his life, his Montenegro medals, and Earl of Doncaster photo. Nick states, “Over the great bridge, with the sunlight through the girders making a constant flicker upon the moving cars, with the city rising up across the river in white heaps and sugar lumps all built with a wish out of non-olfactory money.” It is impossible to disagree with the transfixing nature of such an entrance to one of the greatest cities in the world! Many of the key scenes in the novel happen in New York City: Gatsby and Nick’s lunch with the gangster in Chapter 4 as well as the Chapter 7 Plaza Hotel showdown.”

During my fellowship, each day coincided with a chapter as best I could make it. For Part 1, we drove the length of Long Island, passing The Hamptons only a few days after President Biden fundraised there and a few weeks after the latest celebrity drunk driving scandal. At Montauk, where the bay meets the ocean, it was a perfect spot to reflect on the role of water in the novel and Nick’s final reflections on Gatsby and what it all meant. Instead of a green light, there is a stunning lighthouse commissioned by George Washington. Then, we toured the Gatsby-esque, Gatsby-era Oheka Castle , finding modern day concordances that would have delighted Gatsby! (If having a Taylor Swift video filmed at your mansion is not the height of social cache, I don’t know what is!)

Next, we explored Port Washington and Great Neck, models for the fictional East & West Egg, driving past glittering mansions that offered small glimpses of Manhasset Bay. Included in our journey was a pilgrimage to the home that Scott and Zelda rented in 1922 where he started writing the novel. Finally, we found a marvelous spot to get ice cream and watch the sunset over the water before driving over the Queensboro Bridge, just like Nick and Gatsby, into Manhattan before heading home.

– Nick’s NYC arrival in Chapter 1 and Gatsby’s post-war wanderings, Chapter 9
– Bootlegging and Baseball – Sites associated with the 1919 World Series fix, Chapter 4
– Old Money and Power Structures, locations including the Plaza Hotel, Chapters 1, 6 and 7
– How the Other Half Lives – The Tenement Museum and walking tours of neighborhoods, Chapter 1, 2, & 6, as well as exploring Ellis Island
– Absent Voices – research of voices of color, women, and the working class who create the background texture of the novel, but slide by invisible to the reader
– Glamour and Glitter – Seeing the current Broadway sensation, The Great Gatsby!

“Driving through Great Neck, Long Island, we saw the roads that Scott and Zelda undoubtedly drove down in the 1920’s, with gorgeous skylines peeking out from behind mansions and dense trees. There was even a Gatsby Lane in the Kings Point neighborhood, but true to form, it was a false front: created as a marketing tool, no doubt, and not authentic to the time period. The views across the bay are all private ones or in parks that require proof of residence, very exclusive. And stopping at a diner for dinner, we saw myriad Gatsby references and maps that show off the Eggs (Gatsby and Nick’s West Egg = Great Neck, Kings Point; Daisy and Tom’s East Egg = Port Washington, Manor Haven, Sands Point).”

With new artifacts and insights, James intends to create content using a student-friendly Instagram account as well as QR codes for students to access after reading each chapter. The Instagram account is already receiving comments from people who know the world and location of the Gatsby story, adding further insight and authenticity to a living, relevant study of the novel. Ultimately, students will create videos and written reflections about essential questions and places in their own lives.

“I am grateful to Fund for Teachers for supporting this journey into the heart of the novel, the 1920’s, and all the modern-day concordances!” said James. “I feel a sharp sense of geography and place as well as numerous ways to link 2024 and 1922 because of this work…I will part with Fitzgerald’s closing sentence to the novel: “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” As Fitzgerald wisely knew, the pull of the past is always compelling; it is always part of what makes us human.

James T. Sheridan is an AP English Literature instructor and Course Facilitator at YES Prep East End Secondary School in Houston, Texas. He was a 2000 Houston Teach For America Corps Member whose 24-year teaching career has taken him from Houston to Philadelphia and back. He has been honored as a 2012 Kinder Award Winner for Excellence in Teaching, a Finalist for the 2015 Fishman Prize for Excellence in Teaching, and a 2015 Teach For America Alumni Award Winner for Excellence in Teaching.

Fund for Teachers Announces Innovation Circle Grant Fellows

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:

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

Happy Halloween “Tomb” You

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.”

: Clava Cairns passageway aligned to winter solstice

: Videoing the intricate stone carvings dating back to 3500 BC.

: Entrance to New Grange is protected by megalithic kerbstone

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.

Teachers Leading Teachers

In her book Teacher Leadership That Strengthens Professional Practice, Charlotte Danielson defines teacher leadership as “that set of skills demonstrated by teachers who continue to teach students but also have an influence that extends beyond their own classroom to others within their own school and elsewhere.” Today, we are pleased to announce that the following individuals chose Fund for Teachers as their “elsewhere,” becoming our newest Educator Advisory Council members. After a thorough application and interview process by the Council’s seven founding members, these Fellows commit to a two-year term and help inform our organization’s work supporting and elevating the learning of teachers and their students. We are grateful to the following teachers for their commitment to their peers and our programming.

Hyam Elsaharty

Prior to joining Seattle Public Schools as its District Social Emotional Learning Consulting Teacher, Hyam taught math and special education at Stephen T. Mather High School in Chicago, IL. In 2017, she and a colleague used a Fund for Teachers grant to investigate programs within refugee and public schools in Malaysia (pictured). Afterwards, the duo expanded existing advisory curriculum to meet the specific social and emotional needs of Malaysian and refugee students. In addition to her FFT fellowship, Hyam is also the recipient of the P. Buckly Moss grant and was named Chicago Public School’s SEL Teacher of the Year in 2019.

“Becoming an FFT Fellow was the impetus which began my life shift personally and professionally,” said Hyam. “As a woman of color who works in SEL where I get to help folks develop a sense and pride in their identity, self-advocate, and practice empathy, I am deeply committed and connected to the EAC’s objectives. In fact, without FFT I do not believe I would be secure in my own identity.”

Read more about Hyam’s fellowship here and her thoughts on social emotional learning in this Chalkbeat Chicago article.

Marco Cenabre

Marco teaches high school literature at New Haven, CT, in the district where he was born, raised and from which he graduated. In 2019, he used his FFT grant to attend the Bard College Institute for Writing and Thinking in Annandale, NY, and afterwards award-winning author Debra Moffit’s “Gaining Creative Self Confidence Writing” retreat in Lake Annency, France, to implement intentional strategies in reflection and storytelling.

“I believe in teacher-to-teacher collaboration, and leadership,” said Marco on why he chose to join the EAC. “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, will be an opportunity to offer solutions leading to widespread change.”

In addition to leading Fund for Teachers’ Social Justice Innovation Circle, Marco teaches a graduate course on reflective practice to first year teachers throughout the state, is a member of the Anti-Racist Teaching & Learning Collective and is a Teach for America alumni. Read more about Marco’s fellowship here.

Marin Leroy

Marin teaches at Evergreen Community Charter School in Asheville, NC, where she coordinates for environmental education programs. In 2015, she used her grant to attend the week-long Edible Schoolyard Academy in Berkeley, CA, with subsequent mentoring at a K-8 Life Lab garden in Santa Cruz, CA. She returned to curate a team of educators from her broader community to support local edible education and school yard garden projects.

“My opinion is that most teacher certification programs give teachers a foundation, a starting place, but that FFT provides ways for educators to cultivate our own passions, which makes our teaching and facilitation of subject more highly engaging for students,” said Marin. “The more inspired we are as educators, the more we can spark our kids’ imagination and love for learning. As part of the EAC I will immerse myself in a community of professionals working to shift toward this academic paradigm through teacher engagement and inspiration.”

Read more about Marin’s community impact here.

Rao Olayeye

Rao recently returned from a teaching assignment in Bahrain, where she was the information technology specialist. Prior to that, she taught at the Atlanta International School, where she founded its middle school robotics program and developed the high school program into a competitive team. Her expertise in robotics began in 2012, when she used an FFT grant to attend a Robotics Education Global Conference in Oahu, HI, and enroll in Carnegie Mellon’s National Robotic Engineering Center in Pittsburgh, PA (pictured).

“There are not many women in educational leadership and I want to see a shift in that area,” said Rao on why she applied for an EAC position. “My masters and doctorate degrees, combined with years of experience teaching locally and internationally, are empowering me to be the change I want to see in the world and look forward to bringing that passion and commitment to the EAC to benefit a wider community.”

Victoria Thomson

Victoria teaches Integrated Science and astronomy in East Lyme, CT, after a career as a scientist/entomologist. In 2019, she used her FFT grant to participate in a summer teacher training course sponsored by the Galileo Teacher Training Program in the Canary Islands, home to some of the most technologically-advanced telescopes in the Northern Hemisphere (pictured).

When asked why she wanted to join the EAC, Victoria responded, “I am the first generation to go to college in my family and ended up thriving at an Ivy League School. I wanted to give back to students and inspire them, which is why I became a teacher. As an adult, I see teachers get stuck by the barriers placed on them in the classroom. I see and hear teachers feel like victims of a system. I want to be a part of a group that inspires teachers to find other teachers to be rise up together and be brave, to do what is best for our children, our future leaders.”

Read more about Victoria’s fellowship here.

Confronting Slavery’s Legacy of Racism Together

Today marks the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade History, an annual commemoration established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2007. The aim of the day is “to inculcate in future generations the causes, consequences and lessons of the transatlantic slave trade, and to communicate the dangers of racism and prejudice.” FFT Fellows consistently design fellowships to further this work and we are honored to share the work of one of them today. Aisha Haynes (Academy of Urban Planning & Engineering – Brooklyn) used her grant to research colonization in Ghana on the 400th anniversary of the first enslaved African arrived in Virginia to share learning with the school Equity Team and advance campus inclusivity goals. We’re grateful for Aisha’s work and her story…

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“Akwaaba” is a traditional greeting in Ghana that welcomes visitors. This greeting resonates with me often as a teacher in the neighborhood in which I teach in Brooklyn, New York. Many of my students are recently arrived immigrants, students who are living in temporary housing, or simply new to our school community. This warm welcome invites my students into our classroom space to move from becoming visitors in our community to making themselves at home. I designed this fellowship to celebrate their diversity, encourage their inclusion, and build leadership amongst my adolescent students.

For ten days, I experienced the history and culture of Ghana while staying with a host family to broaden personal understanding of the African country, particularly the role it played in the slave trade, and more effectively teach this period of history. Visiting the Cape Coast was the most transformative of experiences. To stand in the same spaces where enslaved people were once tortured, punished, and forever taken away from the life that they once knew was jarring. Despite this painful past, so many of the Ghanians that I met were willing to acknowledge the dark past while acknowledgouting the hope and promise for the future. I was inspired by this attitude and I hope to share these experiences and attitudes with my student.

The “Year of Return” [2019 commemorated 400 years since the first enslaved Africans touched down in Jamestown, Virginia in the United States] was a carefully curated event by the nation’s government and tourism department. Watching them weave music, dance, art, and history together to tell a comprehensive story of Ghana’s past and present. This has supported a more interdisciplinary approach to my teaching and I am encouraged that my students are learning more because they are engaged. I also hope that my students will feel emboldened to share their identity with newfound ways to tell their stories.

I did not expect to be so personally impacted by the visit. To walk into spaces and hear “Welcome home, my sister,” gave me a sense of joy and belonging that I have never felt in any place that I’ve visited. As a Black woman in America, I scarcely have the experience to be in spaces where everyone looks like me and I was unprepared for how significant that would be to me. Additionally, the visit to the slave castle left me committed to retelling the story of marginalized people in their voices.

Students now have access to the resources I collected during my time in Ghana to begin drafting their own origin stories. After developing these stories, they will be invited to address issues around their own identities and present their findings to the school community. This will culminate in a full day of activities entitled “Day of Dialogue” in which students act as facilitators.

This work is expanding school wide events to deconstruct stereotypes and build our school community. Staff, faculty, and the community take part in this daylong activity, which has become a tradition for our school. Our students lead the activities throughout the day in classrooms and after the day is complete, they often feel emboldened to share their skills at conferences and other schools on the campus.

After Ghana, I have renewed energy and more directed focus toward creating a meaningful experience for students. I teach mostly black and brown students and sharing these travel stories and memories with them is a personal experience that brings us closer. My teaching is transformed because my worldview feels larger as I feel more convicted to make their teaching relevant, interdisciplinary and authentic.

Too often, students feel like their learning is in silos- their personal lives are separated from the classroom. Having had such a rich cultural experience, I am dedicated to giving my students the same experience. Travel also reminded me that teaching should be interdisciplinary, relevant, and mixes the past with their contemporary lives. When teachers are personally enriched, they pass along the experiences and try to replicate those experiences in a meaningful way.

(top to bottom: Aisha in front of the Ghanian flag. The red in the flag represents the blood of those who died for independence from Great Britain, gold-the mineral wealth of the country, green-the country’s rich forests and nature, and black star-African emancipation. | The Door of No Return at Elmina Castle, through which tens of thousands of Africans destined for slavery passed to board slave ships. | Visiting Kwame Nkrumah Square, which recognizes the country’s first Prime Minister and President of Ghana. | Black Star Square, site of the annual Independence Parade. Read excerpts from today’s speech by the UN Secretary-General about this year’s theme “Confronting Slavery’s Legacy of Racism Together” here.)

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Aisha is a high school teacher in Brooklyn, New York where she has taught English for the last eleven years. She is also a doctoral candidate in New York University Educational Leadership and Policy program. Her research interests include the changing educational landscape, education equity and school leadership.

Water, Water Everywhere, but…

…not a drop to drink. That’s what Richard Lebowitz discovered on his Fund for Teachers fellowship last summer in Indonesia. For two weeks, he collaborated with Balinese municipalities, scholars, citizens and tourists to research the country’s inability to overcome its water shortage crisis. Richard’s inspiration came from observing water waste at The SEEALL Academy in Brooklyn, NY, where his students are now implementing sustainability practices as a result of his research.

“An environmental sustainability practice that my school fails to address is our overconsumption of freshwater,” said Richard. “Our sinks and water fountains often break, and excess water pours out of these faucets while they are not in use. They are eventually fixed, but only after wasting potable water. The school’s sinks and toilets are outdated and overconsume freshwater because they lack modern water saving technology, like reduced water volume sinks and toilets. I am committed to transforming our school culture, first by transforming the way my students view their roles as environmental stewards within our school and community.”

The most effective way to do that, he decided, was to show students what happens when a community fails to advocate for its environment.

: Beautiful from this vantage point, but polluted and not potable

: Evidence of lake water level decrease

Throughout his fellowship, Richard witnessed and documented the implications of a freshwater shortage crisis:

More than 60% of the country’s waterways have dried up;
Densely populated areas along the coastline have lowered the water table level, causing saltwater to leach into aquifers;
Agricultural runoff pollutes bodies of water; and,
Tourism creates an increased demand for freshwater.

Back at school, Richard introduced students to the topic of Bali’s water crisis through his fellowship pictures, videos and interviews. Then the students got to work, proposing solutions to four primary challenges listed above. The process included creating visual representations of their solutions through a classroom model, as well as science fair tri-folds.

This project sparked further student activism around the school, including elimination of single-use plastics and a new recycling program.

“Before the fellowship, my professional obligation as a science teacher was to inspire students to develop a love for learning while aiding their growth and development,” said Richard. “Now, my job continues to be what it was plus to inspire students to become positive contributors to society, the community, and the world within areas of science such as environment conservation. I have an obligation to share my experiences with others. I am grateful that I was able to have this opportunity to learn.”

We’re proud to share Richard’s story in celebration of World Water Day. Learn more about his fellowship by clicking here.

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Richard is a middle school science teacher, sustainability coordinator, and science department chairperson in Brooklyn, New York. Currently, Richard is leading an effort that would bring recycling into his middle school. He spearheaded the construction of a greenhouse with a roof rainwater collection system. Next year, he plans to bring a reusable water bottle filtered refill station into his school. He is a Math for America Master Teacher and Greentree Foundation member.

An Overdue Apology

Today California’s state legislature will officially apologize to Japanese Americans sent to internment camps during World War II. This aspect of World War II is one many students don’t learn about during history classes, but one that many FFT Fellows seek to understand and share. Today, we share the learning of Timothy Nagaoka, whose grandfather fought for the United States in the European Theatre during the war.

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At the Minidoka National Historic Site in Idaho

I teach Japanese as a foreign language to elementary and middle school students, many of whom come from immigrant families. Some families are from Central and South America, some from the Caribbean Islands, and others from Southeast Asia. I share this heritage. I grew up in Japan. My mother is sansei (third-generation Japanese American) from Hawaii; her father, a nisei (second-generation Japanese American), was one of many Japanese Americans on the island who enlisted after Pearl Harbor. He wanted to prove his loyalty to the country that had become very suspicious of his people, so he fought with other nisei from Hawaii in the 100th Infantry Battalion, which became one of the most decorated in military history.

Growing up, I heard my grandfather tell stories of fighting in Europe in World War II. Not until much did I learn of another battle fought by Japanese Americans on the mainland. It was not a battle of bombs and bullets, but a battle of patience and perseverance. Like my grandfather, who demostrated his patriotism by enlisting, many Japanese Americans proved their loyalty by enduring relocation to internment camps.

To fully understand and better teach this period of American history, I designed my Fund for Teachers fellowship to explore the Japanese American experience during World War II and – more specifically – the US government’s handling of these citizens.

With Secretary Norman Mineta and Senator Alan Simpson at Heart Mountain

I drove 3,500 miles through 8 Western States over 11 days to research 10 monuments and former internment sites. I also stopped at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles (where I took a selfie with George Takai). An unplanned experience was attending the Annual Pilgrimage at Heart Mountain Relocation Center in Wyoming, where we honored those who who advocated, resisted and fought for Japanese Americans. It was this stop where I met former Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta and Senator Alan Simpson.

Throughout my fellowship, I focused on two topics:
• What Japanese Americans endured throughout relocation, and,
• How relocation of the Japanese Americans is remembered today.

At the Gila River War Relocation Center in Arizona

During the fellowship, I filmed interviews with former internees about their experiences, which I’m using as resources with students and colleagues. I am also designing two curricular units that teach about the Japanese American internment experience: one for Japanese language teachers that incorporates phrases and dialogues used in camps; and one for English Arts and Social Studies teachers who want to teach about the topic. Upon completion, I will offer workshops throughout Boston Public Schools and through local non-profit teacher training organizations.

In my classes, I’m using the knowledge and connections I gained through my fellowship to teach about the forced internment of Japanese Americans during the war. Previously, I’ve taught Japanese customs, traditions, history and culture, but I’d never considered teaching the Japanese American immigrant story. I now incorporate into my language lessons words and phrases, such as gaman (perserverance) and shikata ga nai (can’t be helped), that were often used by the Japanese Americans to describe their confinement. I’ve come to understand that by teaching my culture’s extraordinary circumstances, I can deepen connections with students whose lives reflect similar themes, old and new.

Tule Lake Segregation Center in California

On January 2nd, 1945, restrictions preventing resettlement in the 100 mile Exclusion Zone along the West Coast was removed. I believe a strong democracy lies in not forgetting the past, especially not the mistakes. My fellowship researching the plight of tens of thousands Japanese Americans was humbling and allowed me to gain a more complete perspective of the American immigrant experience. I am using this perspective to better understand (and teach) my students from immigrant families themselves.

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Timothy Nagaoka teaches Japanese in six schools around the greater Boston area and has dedicated his career to creating opportunities for students and colleagues to connect with Japan. In recognition of his work, Timothy has received the John E. Thayer Award from the Japan Society of Boston, and the Henry L. Shattuck Public Service Award from the Boston Municipal
Research Bureau.

Read about another FFT Fellow’s experience researching life in and around Japanese Relocation Camps in Utah and Colorado here.

FFT Fellows To Host Webinar on Building Global Communities

They gathered data in national parks, followed the Brothers Grimm through Germany, researched the secret to happiness in Southeast Asia, built an aquaponics system in Africa, and conducted interviews in Northern Ireland. Now they apply those experiences in the classroom and they want to share strategies — and learn your own — for connecting students to global peers.

On Wednesday, February 19th, Fund for Teachers is hosting its inaugural webinar series designed to facilitate learning beyond the initial fellowship experience. All teachers are invited and encouraged to participate. Registration for the event is available here.

A little more about our panel…

Connecticut Fellow Dory Moore connects her students with peers in Michigan and Bermuda using Flipgrid.com. Students in each location design underwater robots to collect water and sand samples, then use the Flipgrid platform to sare ideas and prototypes. This spring, these citizen scientists will meet up in Bermuda (using grant money Dory secured) to test their designs and collect data on the invasive lion fish.

Kate Craven is a library media specialist who helps students practice research skills using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Her fellowship in Germany led to a collaboration through the German American Partnership Program and now map how each country is meeting indicators of the United Nations Global Goals.

Carly Imhoff uses Empatico to be matched with international classrooms and connect through live video. They are currently sharing projects about climate change and renewable energy. (Her students also taught students in Nigeria about “Baby Shark” and they shared a hand clapping game.) Carly’s students also use Flipgrids to share with peers in Uruguay Lego creations for UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Oklahoma Teacher of the Year and two-time FFT Fellow Donna Gradel developed long-term relationships with a school and orphanage in Kenya that has resulted in two student expeditions there to implement an aquaponics and sustainable food initiative they developed in AP Environmental Science. Watch her tell her story here.

And Saul Fussiner is a high school writing teacher who has experimented with classroom partnerships between his students, students in other parts of the United States and Ireland. He has leveraged a virtual pen pal structure using e-mail and Google hangouts, which he talks about in this brief video.

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What questions do you have for these exemplary educators?

Submit them to carrie@fundforteachers.org and join the discussion on February 19th at 4 pm CST.

Register here for the webinar.

San Francisco Students Ask “Is Chinatown Authentic?”

Abraham Lincoln High School, located on the west side of San Francisco, is far from the traditional ethnic neighborhoods of Chinatown and the Mission District; centers of the city’s Asian and Latinx communities. Eighty percent of Lincoln’s students identify with these ethnic groups so AP Human Geography teacher Leon Sultan decided to utilize his own city to design a research project in these well-known locations in order to help his students dig deeper into their own communities and see them in a new light.

“Concepts of identity, culture, language, ethnicity, nation and the concept of the ‘nation-state’ are all central to our course – as well as to the lives of my students,” said Sultan. “I sent students on field trips into their own communities to research these concepts through new lenses.”

And by lenses, Leon means figurative and literal. Mirroring research he conducted on the Catalan independence movement in Barcelona last summer, Leon’s students took photographs, shot videos and recorded audio to document Sense of Place. They then worked in mixed ability groups to produce Vlogs (video blogs) using a clear narrative structure, voice-over narration, text graphics, and montages of still photo/videos and interview footage. The result were research projects that effectively demonstrate course concepts, utilize academic vocabulary and connect learning to their lives.

Project 1: “What is the impact of gentrification in the Mission” and “Is Chinatown Authentic?”

Project 2: “Chinatown district through the lens of Human Geography”

“Students benefit from seeing their teachers as role models and life-long learners,” said Sultan. “This summer, they watched me conduct field research through Vlogs I produced on my fellowship. When I arrived back to school this fall, students I had never met before were already well acquainted with me, and with key course concepts. Then, they engaged in the same type of learning that I did. Ultimately I want this project to serve as a template for other teachers to follow as our school moves towards more technology integration and interactive project-based learning.”

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In celebration of Lunar New Year, we are also proud to highlight the learning of a few additional
2019 FFT Fellows:

: Emily Kjesbo-Johnson (Saint Paul, MN) captured in virtual reality Thailand’s history, culture and architecture to create case studies for the analysis of geometric properties and theorems set amidst the rich backdrop of the Southeast Asian nation.

: Juliet Gayle (South Windsor, CT) explored the cultures and histories of Vietnam and Cambodia to ignite an interest in and respect of others, foster international mindedness and enhance cross-curricula units.

: Jennifer Funkhouser (Saint Paul, MN) researched the cultural and linguistic implications of French colonization in Northern Vietnam and explore Hmong heritage and culture to make a French curriculum more relevant and engaging.

: Sarah Samaros (Tyngsboro, MA) volunteered in a food pantry/soup kitchen in Ho Chi Minh City to inform culinary arts instruction that culminates in a Southeast Asian-themed menu in the student-run school restaurant.

: Dana Tatlock (Providence, RI) Explore Cambodian Buddhism and the country’s minority Muslim faith, examining the two religions’ daily practices, interactions with the country’s culture, histories, and the overarching question of religious tolerance to deepen learning of world religions in fourth- and sixth-grade classrooms.

: Bette Sloane (Garden City Park, NY) explored the mathematics behind the immense man-made structures of China and the delicate artistic compositions of Japan to create authentic, real-world Geometry problem sets that draw connections between engineering, architecture, and the arts.

: Matthew Grimes (Charlestown, MA) gathered in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia artifacts about the human costs of the Vietnam War to engage students in thinking about when, if ever, it is acceptable for the US to use military force.

: Matthew Steiniger (New York City) joined restoration of Thailand’s reefs through the New Heaven Reef Conservation Program to accumulate research for student data analysis on the ecological/social effects of climate change and instill a culture of environmental activism.

: The team from Mission Hill K-8 (Jamaican Plain, MA)Research the history and culture of China through its most iconic landmarks to inform a three-month, school-wide study of Ancient China that addresses how past inventions and accomplishments impact our present lives.

Speaking Out by Teaching

Today marks the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. In November 2005, the United Nations General Assembly designated this day as International Holocaust Remembrance Day to honor the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and millions of other victims of Nazism. We choose to do so by sharing the story of Kimberly McCabe, social studies teacher at Gulf Coast Middle School, Spring Hill, FL. With her Fund for Teachers grant, Kimberly joined a professional learning tour in Finland to explore that country’s model of Phenomenon-Based education practices, then researched historical sites and landmarks in Germany, Poland, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic to create a Phenomenon-Based unit on the Jewish Holocaust.

On January 27, 1945, the Soviets liberated the largest of the Nazi death camps which was located in German-occupied Poland. By this point Auschwitz and Auschwitz-Birkenau had an estimated death toll of over 1.1 million people and although it had originally been a detention center for political prisoners, it had turned into a death camp for Jews, Roma, and others who were deemed enemies of the Nazi state.

As we memorialize the beginning of the end of Auschwitz, I am brought back to this summer when, through Fund for Teachers, my colleague and I stood inside the gates of Auschwitz and took part in a six-hour educational tour of the camps. Our purpose? To more deeply understand life inside a concentration camp, to have the opportunity to speak directly to the very highly trained guides at Auschwitz and ask them the questions we still had, and to bring back resources to our classroom. Although we left Auschwitz with our arms full of books, professional photos, and other resources, the biggest resource we brought back to our classroom was our memories of that day and the feeling of walking through history.

One of the memorials that I found most impactful was the book of names at Auschwitz. Here is listed every single victim of the Holocaust. They also included blank pages for the 2 million people who were not identified.

As a Social Studies teacher, standing in a place where history has taken place always has a particular reverence to it. Touching a piece of the past always feels transportive and surreal. Auschwitz was no exception; in fact it may have been even truer there. I took a few moments during the tour to sit in one of the memorials and reflect on the sheer number of lives lost there and what could be taken from that ash and turned into beauty in the future generations, and what role I would play in that as a teacher. The six-hour educational tour is the longest tour that Auschwitz provides. It covers both Auschwitz and Auschwitz-Birkenau, and while I recommend the experience if you are visiting, I cannot stress enough how taxing it is both physically and emotionally. We left the location completely drained. Our evening was spent silently reflecting on our day. My thoughts kept returning to the fact that I had spent less than a workday in Auschwitz under voluntary circumstances, on a beautiful day in mid-summer. How could I possibly ever understand what life in Auschwitz was like for those who lived it? How could anyone survive that? Moreover, how could any human inflict that on another? The thoughts seemed too heavy for that day, and even today, months after my visit I feel the same when I reflect back. Now, even more than ever, it is my goal to honor the victims and celebrate the survivors of the Holocaust while also empowering the future generation to create a world in which discrimination no longer exists and differences are embraced.

Each year I am humbled by the task of teaching the Holocaust to my 7th grade students. For weeks prior to the unit I begin to feel the weight that comes with that responsibility. My ultimate goal is always to honor the victims and survivors as well as their families, while at the same time opening up my classroom to discussions of how this applies to them today. If I could choose one thing that every student would take away from this unit, it would be that we should always stand up for those being persecuted among us. This will not always mean large groups of people who are being persecuted by their government; it may be as simple as standing up for the kid being bullied on the playground-or more likely via social media. It may mean reaching out to those who are different from you in order to better understand their perspective. It may mean choosing to vote with other groups in mind.

One of the memorials at Auschwitz-Birkenau. The location was once used as a dumping site for crematorium ashes. However, now it is a quiet place to sit and reflect and memorialize those lost here.

Whatever form it takes, being an upstander is worth the temporary discomfort that may accompany it because if we don’t stick together as members of the human race, we will eventually look around us to find that there is no one there to support us in our time of need.

For this I rely on a particular quote by Martin Neimöller that always makes an impact on me regardless of the number of times I have read it.

First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist

Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist

Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist

Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew

Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me.

To me this quote embodies everything that went wrong during the Holocaust while at the same time allowing me to give honor to those who chose to stand up and do what they could to help others during the Holocaust.

Each week students are shown the biography of a different upstander. They are highlighted as the true heroes of the Holocaust, regular people who did extraordinary things to help strangers. To encourage this sense of empathy in my students, I hand-select a person for them to follow through the Holocaust. I talk to them about how each one of the people they will follow was someone’s child, sibling, parent, or friend. That just like all of us, they were a real individual with hopes and dreams, with fears and insecurities, with a whole future in front of them. I let them know that I am counting on them to take care of this person during our journey. To care about them, to become invested in their life story. Some even take time to research the person on their own time to learn more about them. Throughout the unit they find out more about the person they are following. They learn about their lives and families prior to the 1933. They hear about their family’s businesses and work, their home life, their country. As we move through the timeline of events they witness the changes in their individual’s life. Finally at the conclusion of the unit they find out whether or not their individual was a victim of a survivor of the Holocaust. It is a very somber class period because by this point the students have realized that no matter what the outcome, their individual has faced years of anguish that we can’t even imagine today. It is eye-opening to students that life can change so quickly because of one idea.

This year as a capstone to the unit, our students took part in a project which memorialized the victims and survivors of the Holocaust by creating a memorial quilt. Our local Holocaust museum is to credit for the idea behind the project as it is one they have done with visiting classrooms and have displayed in their learning center. Our students had the opportunity to visit the museum, hear from a survivor, view the quilt designed by past students, as well as take a guided tour of the museum. This visit created many questions for them which we explored during our unit. At the end of the unit they each created a felt quilt square. Each individual also wrote an accompanying essay explaining the symbolism present in their quilt square. The pieces were then combined to make one large class quilt as a memorial to the lives lost in the Holocaust and display in the school as a way to remember the lessons that can be learned from this tragedy.

Although there is nothing we can do to change the horrifying things that occurred during the Holocaust, the quilt project allowed our students to feel as though they were able to give something back to those who suffered by remembering and honoring them. Rather than focus solely on the horrible things that were done, it allows us to focus on the beauty of the individuals and the hope that future generations will never allow this to happen again.

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Kimberly (pictured on the right with a member of their group at the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam) is a middle school Social Studies teacher in the Tampa Bay Area. She is a mom of 3 and enjoys learning as much as she enjoys teaching. She is always looking for new ways to learn through experiences, and traveling to historic sites is her preferred way to learn. She has been awarded with 3 NEH teacher grants, is a graduate of the Florida Justice Teaching Institute, and a member of the 2019 iCivics Teacher Network.

The Era That Will Live in Infamy

On Pearl Harbor Day, we remember the 2,403 people killed in the surprise attack by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service. The “date which will live in infamy” launched America’s entry into World War II; the bombings also resulted in the internment of 7,000 Japanese American citizens in relocation centers by order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Teaching the complexities of this time is complex in and of itself for Tim Barry. His students at Nathan Hale Middle School in Coventry, CT, fall within a wide range of ability levels.

“This drastic range creates difficulty when choosing and providing engaging and appropriate text for students of all abilities,” explained Tim. “Fortunately, with the broad scope of our World War II unit, we are able to provide high interest and appropriately leveled options so that all students may contribute and draw connections to classroom discussion and produce work that they can be proud of.”

But that unit lacked dialogue about the domestic impact of the war. Tim designed a Fund for Teachers fellowship fill that gap and, last summer, examined life in and around Japanese Relocation Camps in Utah and Colorado to help students:

Connect to the past and apply that knowledge to the current climate in the United States?
Draw parallels between the treatment of Japanese Americans in the United States and Jewish (and other minority) people in Europe during WWII?
Understand the Pyramid of Hate and how the act of dehumanization impacts individuals and large groups through self reflection and journaling, and
Support other disciplines across the curriculum such as math (budgeting), social studies (constitutional questions), and science (geographic significance of camps and land features that made them ideal).

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Last summer, I was fortunate to travel to Colorado and Utah to study Japanese Internment Camps as part of my Fund For Teachers fellowship. My intention was to supplement our current World War II unit with experiences from the home front to allow students to draw parallels in today’s climate of cultural bias. I want my students to draw inspiration my own curiosity and go out and explore the world. I want them to challenge what they know or think they know and I want them to be acutely aware of how history has a tendency to repeat itself.

Granada Relocation Center memorial

Trip Details: I spent nine days traveling from the Topaz Camp in Delta, Utah to the Moab Isolation Center in Moab, Utah and finally to Granada Relocation Center (Amache) in Granada, Colorado. In Delta, I was struck by the beautifully curated Topaz Museum which highlighted the blending of traditional Japanese culture with the easily recognizable American identity of the time. High school yearbooks, recounts of baseball games, and a letterman’s jackets sat side-by-side with instruments of the Japanese tea ceremony and watercolor paintings. Despite the dramatic civil rights violations perpetrated by the United States government, these proud people still created a sense of normalcy and everyday life. The message of their resilience is one that I hope will resonate with my students.

Pictured with Mr. Kitajima and Dr. Clark

The highlight of my trip was being able to connect with Denver University at their biennial open house at the Amache site in Colorado. There, I was introduced to Dr. Bonnie Clark who is the Project Director of the DU Amache Research Project. I was able to meet several former internees of the camp, including 87 year old, Mr. Ken Kitajima who was a resident of the camp from ages 12-15. My hope is that I can provide my students with a first hand account of what it was like to be of middle school age in a Relocation Camp. I plan to connect with Mr. Kitajima virtually to conduct interviews and provide insight into his experience. Perspective is one of the most important things I can offer to my students.

Middle school is a trying time and although the experiences of my students will be different than those of the past, the challenges will not be unique. My hope is that my journey will foster a sense of intellectual curiosity as my students create their own world view and tackle the test of growing up in an increasingly demanding world.

The digital world in which we live allows people to instantly access information and make snap decisions based on their own experiences and biases, yet we don’t often slow down to assess all sides of a story. Ultimately, I want my students to be willing to challenge what is accepted by society and greet people from all walks of life with an open mind.

The main thing that I was able to bring forth and offer to my students was perspective. In our curriculum, we dive deeply into the ideals in which the nation was built upon, the Constitution, Supreme Court cases, and World War II. Through my experiences at the Japanese Relocation Camps I can provide an alternative lens in which students can view historical events and how they correlate to our society today.

We broached difficult topics such as governmental policy, Supreme Court decision making, modern and historical biases, and comparing and contrasting Germany’s Nuremberg Laws and Executive Order 9066 of the United States. As an 8th grade student is developing their own world view, the definition of “American” can mean many different things to each individual. Many conversations had to be delicately handled as students progressed through a wide array of emotions and processed preconceived notions. I’ve seen students find their own voice to respectively challenge the biases of another. Seeing a quiet and reserved student willing to speak for those who are unable to speak for themselves is an amazing thing. However, the greatest impact is to see a student challenge their OWN beliefs and to privately approach me and identify that their world view is shifting through our discussion.

As I look to branch out and share my experiences with different grade levels and new districts, I truly feel that they highest value comes through dialogue. My advice to those who are jumping into this complex time in history is to keep a patient and open mind. Avoiding controversial topics will only perpetuate the cycle of silence. As educators, it is critical to understand that a limited world view is the reality of many students. They simply haven’t had enough time to develop perspective. Whether that dialogue is created through looking at primary sources, first person testimony, or inviting guest speakers, the value of insight and challenging oppressive attitudes will create a platform for students to find their own voices both now and in the future.

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For more than a decade, Tim has empowered his students to take ownership over their education and to become independent learners while focusing on character and integrity. Throughout his teaching career, he has coached athletics at both the middle and high school levels and views the competition field as an extension of the classroom where students can push themselves.

Paving the Way for Women

On this day in 1911, Suffragettes stormed Parliament in London. All were arrested and chose prison terms. Their leader was Emmeline Pankhurst – the focus of Eric Reid-St. John‘s fellowship.

Eric, a theatre teacher at Spain Park High School in Hoover, AL, researched Pankhurst and the suffrage movement they incited. While in London, he found in Trafalgar Square the location of the 1908 rally for which Mrs. Pankhurst was also arrested (pictured). He then studied with three avant-garde theatres, laying the groundwork for his students’ creation of a play about Lady Constance Lytton, an English aristocrat who disguised herself as a working woman to support suffragettes.

“Through research, I found that I could relate a lot to Constance,” said Rachel Ponder, who played the lead. “However, most of all, I was so in awe of her dedication towards the suffrage movement. Being a part of this creative process has inspired me both as a woman and as a human being.”

Ponder and 23 students representing each grade spent three months researching the suffrage movement in the United States and Britain before collaborating on a script and set. Each performer created a character journal comprised of photos, newspaper articles and other primary resources they uncovered. An Oxford professor who authored a book on Lytton Skyped into class to inform students’ research, as well.

“Current events were on my mind when I began this process and they continue to bring about a sense of urgency surrounding women’s rights,” said Eric. “My students took the history of this topic and explored its correlation with today’s headlines. They created a story that allowed people to see that the expansion of equal rights is the natural progression of a free society.”

Reviews are in, and at a state theatre competition, Ponder won Best Actress, her cast mates won Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Ensemble and Deeds Not Words was named Best in Show.

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Update from Eric:

“Several of our seniors from that year’s show have gone on to study theatre at various universities, including Viterbo in Wisconsin (our lead actress from Deeds Not Words studies musical theatre there), University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa; Samford University and Birmingham-Southern in Birmingham; and Emory in Atlanta.

That ended up being my last year teaching in Alabama, as I took a position at a school in Middlebury, VT, the following year. This marks my second year directing the Addison Repertory Theatre at the Hannaford Career Center teaching ART – a class that allows students from area schools to focus on either technical theatre or performance during the school day.

The techniques of devised theatre that I studied along with the suffragettes while in England that summer still impact the way I teach. The students and I have created two plays using devised methods over the past year; one took fables and folk tales and turned them into a children’s show that we toured to five local elementary schools, while the other challenged students to develop a series of short plays that were presented to sold-out crowds over two nights.

The theatre creation techniques I learned will continue to affect the way I teach for years to come. The research into the suffragettes will always continue to influence the way I view the struggle for equal rights. (I have also since been able to take my mother and daughter to the Women’s Rights National Park in Seneca Falls, NY, and have now attended two Convention Days there, annual celebrations that commemorate the first conference on women’s rights in the US).

Thank again for thinking of Deeds Not Words. I believe that was one of the most immediate and important works I’ve been a part of.”

Reflections of an FFT Program Officer

Program officers are Fund for Teachers’ primary point of contact for grant recipients. These individuals field applicants’ questions; support new Fellows throughout the summer; and continue to encourage them once back in the classroom. Other than living vicariously through the Fellows with whom they work, program officers’ favorite part of the job is meeting those teachers in person — which Alycia Johnston did this month at Reflection events in Oklahoma, Tennessee and Chicago.

Reflections are just that, evenings in which Fellows convene to reflect on all they accomplished over the summer. We asked Alycia to share a little about these inspiring nights when she witnesses the impact of Fund for Teachers grants…

: Alycia talks with Chattanooga Fellow Lauren Pritchett.

: Oklahoma Fellow Tina Berry shows a weaving she started in Guatemala.

[minti_dropcap style=”circle”]Q[/minti_dropcap] You see Fellows twice a year: at Orientations in the spring and Reflections in the fall, after they’ve had a few months to process their fellowships. What’s the “before and after” you observe?

[minti_dropcap style=”circle”]A[/minti_dropcap] At Orientations, I hand teachers checks for up to $10,000 and say, “We believe in you and your ideas.” Because they rarely hear this sentiment, the teachers look shocked — even though they worked diligently on their proposals for months and received their award notifications via email weeks earlier. During these “pre-fellowship” events, the teachers are reserved, cautious and sit far apart from each other. During the Reflections, however, the same teachers are chatty, warm, laughing and sharing their learning. Getting their attention can be a challenge because they are eager to network and leverage each other’s fellowships to benefit more students.

: Chicago Reflection, hosted by our partner Chicago Foundation for Education.

: Fellows share artifacts and stories about their learning.

[minti_dropcap style=”circle”]Q[/minti_dropcap]What are the most common things Fellows say during Reflection events?

[minti_dropcap style=”circle”]A[/minti_dropcap] Hands down, that they’ve never been trusted with so much autonomy as educators. Teachers live in a one-size-fits-all/cookie cutter/prescribed environment when it comes to professional development, so the freedom represented by a Fund for Teachers grant is unprecedented for most. Fellows talk about walking back into their classrooms after their fellowships with a confidence they didn’t previously have. They feel like experts on topics they pursued during the summer and that impacts how they teach the rest of the year. I also hear:

“I’ve never seen an organization that meets me where I am.”
“At every turn, Fund for Teachers says, ‘Yes! Do that!'”
“Throughout the process of designing a blueprint for learning, executing my plans and bringing it back to students, I felt honored, trusted and respected as a professional.”

Read more about the Tennessee Reflection here.

: The Public Education Foundation – Chattanooga invites Fellows to create displays about their fellowships and the public is invited to attend.

: Arthur Eve-Williams attended the ISTE conference in Philadelphia and researched best practices of STEM teaching in Toronto.

[minti_dropcap style=”circle”]Q[/minti_dropcap]You’ve been a program officer for eight years. What advice do you have for teachers preparing their application for a 2020 grant?

[minti_dropcap style=”circle”]A[/minti_dropcap] In my opinion, the most important part of crafting a solid proposal is identifying one’s passion. It’s so clear when someone wants to travel to Italy and writes a proposal for that purpose versus when someone finds a need in their practice or gap in their knowledge and then creates a road map for how they are going to address those learning goals. Also, no matter what teachers want to learn or where they want to learn it, their proposals should be personal and capture their passion for the topic. If a teacher can make a case for why it’s vital for them to make this fellowship happen and their passion shines through, that’s a great start.

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Click here to meet three of our program officers and hear their tips for crafting a strong grant proposal.

(Pictured L-R: Salma Zaky, Alycia Johnston and Stephanie Ascherl while filming a Facebook Live tutorial. Watch for upcoming Wednesday Webinars led by these experts on November 13, December 11 and January 8. Register here.)

A Mom/Teacher’s Work is Never Done

Barbara Walters said, “Most of us have trouble juggling. The woman who says she doesn’t is someone whom I admire but have never met.” FFT Fellow Helen Dole, however, seems to be managing fairly well. Helen teaches sixth grade at Lower Manhattan Community Middle School in New York City. With her teammate Molly Goodell, she and five-month-old daughter Sophie Tilmant set off for Alaska this summer to tour boreal forest, coastal, tundra, and glacial ecosystems and collect first-hand evidence of climate change for a sixth grade unit called Human Impacts. She shares some of her experiences below…

Why was it vital for you to pursue this particular opportunity/experience?

An educator in Denali shares with us about the methane that is being released as a result of permafrost melting.

We teach in a school that has students from a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds. Some students have second homes in the Hamptons, while others have grandparents/aunts/uncles cousins all under the same small roof in Chinatown. We previously did a Human Impact project; students relied on internet searches to source information. Now we have brought real data; photos, interviews, and our stories to ALL of our students–we are bringing the world to them even if they have yet to board a plane.

I now see the bigger picture in a deeper way and I’m more passionate about making my students ‘see’ it, too. It’s easy to read articles about climate change and cognitively understand what is happening. It’s an entirely different boat to stand by the sign showing where a glacier was just 10 years ago (and now it’s ice-free) and not viscerally feel how the world is being affected.

Why was this opportunity transformative for your teaching on a macro-level?

On our heli-hike adventure, we learned how about it’s not how warm it is, but rather the length of the growing season that is changing the vegetation.

Teaching is a joy and a grind. You are always “on;” engaging with students in person, families via email, via google docs with colleagues, or in person at staff meetings. This opportunity allowed me to turn my brain to a different mode from the regular routine. I was learning, yes, but in a more open and unencumbered way than the minute-by-minute schedule of a middle school environment. I landed back in NYC feeling enriched and invigorated for the year ahead.

Also, we experience the world through storytelling and now, our stories are going to be much richer and more vivid; filled with cutting edge science and personal anecdotes from our time in Alaska. They will be able to cite specific examples — equisetum plants spreading, the number of days above 50 degrees Fahrenheit North of the Arctic Circle, soil that doesn’t hold rain, roadways decimated from melting permafrost, increased frequency of wildfires, heavier snowfalls in winter, methane gas being released at an alarming rate, the list goes on — and then have teacher stories/images to connect to these sometimes hard-to-internalize science facts.

How did your fellowship changed your personal and/or professional perspective?

In 2010, the ice used to be where we’re standing.

I went into this fellowship with the understanding that I was traveling with my co-teacher, Molly, and that we would strengthen our co-teaching skills on this trip. I didn’t know how much so, though! I traveled with my 5-month-old infant, so I relied on Molly in SO many ways for support and sanity. This journey to Alaska was like the ultimate trust-builder. If students thought we completed each other’s sentences BEFORE this trip, now they’re going to think communicate telepathically!

Additionally, living in a city, it is easy to go about my day and not feel fundamentally affected by climate change. My food, my transportation, my workplace, and home are all far enough removed from Mother Earth that I am not forced to see how climate change is a real thing affecting real people, animals, and plants. On this fellowship, I was able to witness how ice has shifted, plants and animals have migrated, and people have altered their ways of life because of a warming planet.

: Barrow, Alaska. The road stops here; any further North and you’re in the Arctic Ocean.

: Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What do you See? We saw signage for polar bears, but only saw a black bear in real life. She was panting because it was too hot for her!

And finally, what we’re all here for…What did Sophie think?

I’m so glad she was able to come. Even though she won’t remember it; I can show her the pictures and later tell her about it. There were challenges; being a NYC baby she wasn’t used to being in a car seat, so I had to sit in back with her while my co-teacher, Molly, drove because Sophie was fussy in the car seat. And we had to find a babysitter for the day we kayaked, but we found a kind local woman in Seward who watched her and did a great job; even sending me photo updates. She was a big fan of the helicopter ride to the subalpine arctic tundra; smiling the entire way!

When we applied for a Fund for Teachers grant I knew I was expecting, but figured we should go for it anyway. When she arrived AND we got the fellowship I realized I’d still be breastfeeding so wanted to bring her along. My co-teacher, Molly, was a wonderful sport and supported me in so many ways–driving, carrying Sophie on parts of the hikes, and dealing with lights out in our room at 8:30pm–amongst other things. Hah! Overall, she was a pretty easy baby for the trip–not too many tears or too much fussing which allowed me to enjoy the learning adventure I was on! Happy momma = happy baby.

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Helen is in her 15th year of teaching. She is a New York City Teaching Fellow, Math for America Master Teacher, and former Department of Energy Teacher as Scientist. She believes in helping students to see science in their everyday lives; continually striving to make connections between their world and the science they are learning about. Outside the classroom she is a passionate runner. She’s a proud mom to two young children.

This is Just the Beginning

“The congratulations email we got from Fund for Teachers on April 4 about our grant said “This is just the beginning…” Little did we know how true that sentiment was…”

So began the note from 2019 FFT Fellow Kelly Whitaker. She and team mate Sherry Grogan (Monroe Area High School – Monroe, GA) designed their fellowship to collect data and capture 360 video in the Galapagos Islands to inspire scientific field experiences in Georgia that culminate in student presentations at elementary and middle schools intended to pique student interest in biology. Now, photos from their fellowship will also help fund conservation efforts of the Islands.

“My team member, Sherry Grogan, submitted some photos to the photography competition for the Galapagos Conservancy. She was notified this weekend that one of her photos of a lava lizard (above) had received an Honorable Mention and will be in the 2020 calendar.”

: “I imagined learning about the different species would add so much to our lessons, but I never dreamed these “personalities” could be captured in a photograph by me! I loved every creature we met, but especially the ones that ‘greeted’ us!”

: “Each island had a unique landscape based on its age and origin. I especially loved learning about the age of each islands and the stages of primary succession and secondary succession were fun to photograph.”

Read on to see more of “Team Darwin’s” adventures:

: “We are taking 360 pictures from the panga as we tour a mangrove swamp. During this ride, we saw penguins, sea turtles, sea lions, rays, tons of shorebirds.”

: “We were always pushing ourselves to excel outside our comfort zone. One afternoon we asked permission to take 360 video from the crow’s nest. This was the best view of the Galapagos Islands and our new perspective was worth the effort.”

What Changed As A Result of Your Fellowship?

Sherry: “I pushed the limits of my comfort zone routinely while in the Galapagos. I learned to snorkel and engaged with land and sea creatures while shooting 360 videos and taking pictures. Learning in this manner has shown me the importance of capturing student interest in every unit and I feel that I am better equipped to make this happen after the fellowship. Students will surely perform higher in the evolution unit with newly designed lessons of 360 VR experiences and having studied Darwin’s work.”

Kelly: “As my teammate said, ‘We showed up as teachers and we are leaving as students. Our ‘I wonder…’ list is a mile long; our confidence has exploded; our friendship bond is rock solid. The emotional impact was more than I could have imagined. I sat in a panga with six other people with tears rolling down my cheeks at my first sighting of a blue footed booby. I found out that I can’t cry and snorkel at the same time, when I was bobbing in water with penguins.”

: ” I especially loved learning about the age of each islands and the stages of primary succession and secondary succession were fun to photograph.”

: “Hike with tortoises everywhere. These are about 30 years old and our guide said it is quite likely we are the first humans they’ve seen.”

How Do You See Your Teaching Evolving?

Sherry: “I will be entering my 22nd year of teaching next year. This fellowship has completely overhauled my passion for teaching and finding ways to spark interest in my students. I have already tentatively created a plan for involving some portion of the “Galapagos” in each unit. I think this recurring theme will brilliantly help the students learn about such a fascinating place on earth, while also mastering the standards in Biology.”

Kelly: “Our students are going to see our excitement and come up with their own ‘I wonder…’ lists. Our students will be able to ‘visit’ the Galapagos using our 360 video and still shots. They will have a connection to this material that they didn’t have before. We are already looking at the photos we want to exhibit in the elementary schools and middle schools. Our students will have a different level of engagement due to this connection.”

: “All shipmates were eager to get involved in every aspect of our journey. They told us their experience was truly enhanced by seeing the Galapagos through our teacher eyes!”

: “386 steps to the top of Bartolome to take 360 pictures. The iconic picture of Pinnacle Point.”

How will your students learn differently because of your new knowledge or skills?

Sherry: “With all of the footage we shot (i.e., 360 video, photographs, 360 still photos, etc), we have a new approach to many of our units. The photos will come to life in the classroom through the eyes of two very enthusiastic teachers who absolutely cannot stop talking about this trip with friends and family. I learned so much about myself as a teacher, reevaluated my students, and I am prepared to provide a growth opportunity for all students in my room with exciting new material!”

Kelly: “We wrote a grant for mini journals for every student, as well as for field trips to the state park and the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. Sherry’s winning photograph with the Galapagos Conservancy inspired us to have a photo competition among our students. Our media specialist printed the winning photos and our principal ended up paying to frame them! (That’s the water lily picture below).

We also worked in some interdisciplinary activities. We invited the art teacher in to teach a mini-lesson in nature sketching. Our favorite language arts teacher taught a mini lesson on descriptive writing. And our math teacher did a lesson on data collection and also designed a geometry lesson for a putt putt golf course.

Lastly, while writing our grant proposal, we reached out to our mayor. This connection built a relationship and we felt completely comfortable inviting him in to our class to have a forum with our students about environmental decisions in our town. How cool is that? We presented him with the winning photo from the photo competition and he took it to city hall where it was displayed for a month. All because of the connections made during the development of our grant proposal.”

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Sherry Grogan has taught high school biology for 20 years after spending 8 years as a police officer. Dr. Kelly Whitaker is a special education co-teacher in Biology and Physics. Her previous summer adventures include riding a motorcycle, solo, across thirty states and 16,000 miles; hiking 500 miles across Northern Spain on the Camino de Santiago and climbing Mt. Katahdin. To order the Galapagos Conservatory’s 2020 calendar featuring Sherry’s photographs from her fellowship, click here.

Blending Craft and Technology

Using Historical Horrors to Face Modern Monsters

Back to the Future via Fund for Teachers

Why Vietnam? Why Now?

The Fellowship

Vietnam

Singapore

Malaysia

The Philippines

PeaceTrees Vietnam

Back To School

Summer Reading

Fund for Teachers Announces Innovation Circle Grant Fellows

Happy Halloween “Tomb” You

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

Enter If You Dare — And She Did

Her Haunting Question

Demystifying the Megaliths

Teachers Leading Teachers

Hyam Elsaharty

Marco Cenabre

Marin Leroy

Rao Olayeye

Victoria Thomson

Confronting Slavery’s Legacy of Racism Together

Water, Water Everywhere, but…

An Overdue Apology

FFT Fellows To Host Webinar on Building Global Communities

What questions do you have for these exemplary educators?

San Francisco Students Ask “Is Chinatown Authentic?”

Project 1: “What is the impact of gentrification in the Mission” and “Is Chinatown Authentic?”

Project 2: “Chinatown district through the lens of Human Geography”

Speaking Out by Teaching

The Era That Will Live in Infamy

Paving the Way for Women

Reflections of an FFT Program Officer

[minti_dropcap style=”circle”]Q[/minti_dropcap] You see Fellows twice a year: at Orientations in the spring and Reflections in the fall, after they’ve had a few months to process their fellowships. What’s the “before and after” you observe?

[minti_dropcap style=”circle”]Q[/minti_dropcap]What are the most common things Fellows say during Reflection events?

Read more about the Tennessee Reflection here.

[minti_dropcap style=”circle”]Q[/minti_dropcap]You’ve been a program officer for eight years. What advice do you have for teachers preparing their application for a 2020 grant?

A Mom/Teacher’s Work is Never Done

Why was it vital for you to pursue this particular opportunity/experience?

Why was this opportunity transformative for your teaching on a macro-level?

How did your fellowship changed your personal and/or professional perspective?

And finally, what we’re all here for…What did Sophie think?

This is Just the Beginning

What Changed As A Result of Your Fellowship?

How Do You See Your Teaching Evolving?

How will your students learn differently because of your new knowledge or skills?