For the sixth year in a row, Hamilton County public school teachers have earned grants for summer learning experiences across the globe so they can come back and share what they learned with their students. The grants are made possible by the national nonprofit Fund for Teachers, administered locally through a partnership with Public Education Foundation.
“Fund for Teachers fellowships get to the heart of one of our strategic goals at PEF: to develop and advance highly effective teaching so that all students learn in classes that are engaging, relevant, and rigorous,” said Dan Challener, PEF president.
“We know that when teachers return to their classrooms, their Fund for Teachers experiences help them create rich learning opportunities for our students. As our community and our businesses become more and more international, it is critical that our teachers have greater and deeper knowledge of the world. Because of PEF’s partnership with Fund for Teachers, we are delighted to announce this year’s winners – who will go to places all over the world – from Guatemala to Poland, Alaska to Italy.”
Fund for Teachers allotted $70,000 in grant awards for Hamilton County public school teachers this year. Teachers could apply for up to $5,000 as an individual or $10,000 as a team. Sixteen grant recipients from nine schools will visit nine countries across three continents this summer. The 2017 cohort includes:
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Kristina Culberson and Megan Lyness of Brown Middle will explore sites of cultural, historical and architectural significance in Scotland and England, as basis for project-based learning units integrating mathematics and literature;
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Dale Dworak of Brainerd High and Kevin Aslinger of Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences will attend the 2017 Holocaust and Jewish Resistance Teachers' Seminar and visit sites in Germany and Poland, to improve understanding in students of this seminal event in human history;
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Amy Freeman of Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences will attend a four-week Summer School of Archaeology in Abruzzo, Italy given by University of Pisa professors and work on two dig sites, to organize a local dig with students, and help them understand how a study of our ancient selves is prelude to present self-understanding;
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Stephanie Brewer of Hixson Middle and Katherine Blake of Normal Park Museum Magnet will explore points of literary significance in New England as background for an interdisciplinary project to connect language arts and American History;
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Andrea Dyer of Howard School will teach in a Guatemalan school for four weeks, explore culture and history of the area on the weekends, and spend a final week with families of her students from Howard School;
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Frank Mangan and Brandon Hubbard-Heitz of Howard School will explore Alaska through a self-guided tour to study the history and effects of exploitation versus conservation, as catalyst for the school's Outdoor Leadership Club and student conservation work at home and school;
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Marcie Williams of Ooltewah High will attend a three-week teacher course on physics modeling to increase student understanding of physics concepts, and tour Arizona visiting observatories on the weekends for an astronomy unit;
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David Helton of Sale Creek Middle/High will investigate the diet, fitness habits and reason for low obesity in England, France and Italy to create obesity/fitness programs in Hamilton County public schools;
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Beverly Brotton and Karen Smith of Soddy Daisy Middle will explore Alaska's landscapes in order to provide students with lessons on climate change and adaptations;
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Sara Clarich and Jennifer Horton of Soddy Daisy Middle will tour World War II sites in England, France, Germany, and the Netherlands to experience the impact of war and to add depth and relevance to a historical fiction reading/writing unit based on this period.
In partnership with PEF, Fund for Teachers has provided more than $520,000 in grants to 137 Hamilton County public school teachers over the last six years.