Fund for Teachers: What they’re doing this summer

Not to get all nostalgic or anything, but when we started Talk Up APS toward the end of last summer, one of the first things we did was serve up a series of essays from the Atlanta Fund for Teachers  (through the Atlanta Education Fund) winners who wrote about their summer experiences. The essays were a huge hit, and underscored how our APS teachers are at their best when they’re in a constant state of professional development.

So we’re excited to end the 2009-10 school year and look toward the summer with this look at what this year’s crop of Atlanta Fund for Teachers recipients will be doing this summer. We’ll check back in with them from time to time, and get their impressions on what we’re sure will be enriching and fun adventures. (Check out this link for a sampling of those essays.)

Read about the teachers and their plans at the jump…

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
Chastity Crowder and Kelley Young, Scott Elementary
Collaborate with Egyptian school districts to learn best practices for reading, math, and science that will help achieve learning goals within the classroom.

Lesli Burton, Campbell Academy
Attend the National Conference on Differentiated Instruction in Nevada to develop enhanced strategies as a gifted education teacher.

Benita Edwards, White Elementary
Explore the educational trends, technological advances, and best practices involving students with ADHD in Tokyo’s school system to improve classroom instruction.

Kelly Lecceardone, Morningside Elementary
Visit historic sites in Austria and Germany to gain first-hand knowledge about World War II that will ignite students’ interest in history.

MIDDLE SCHOOLS
Adriana Janse van Rensburg, Bunche Middle
Trace the history of Europe’s great composers by researching and visiting famous opera houses, birth places and museums to discover the musicians’ legacies and translate learning back to students.

HIGH SCHOOLS
Cherise Ayers, Maynard Jackson High
Attend a creativity workshop in Florence, Italy, focusing on memoirs, storytelling and guided visualization to enhance creativity instruction.

Jacob Dreiling, Grady High
Attend the International Thespian Conference in Lincoln, Neb., to learn new ways of teaching old material and increase collaborative efforts, within the school.

Padma Rayalla, North Atlanta High
Travel to Bangalore and Hyderabad, India, to observe teaching and assessment strategies for International Baccalaureate math students.

Nilam Trivedi, Washington High
Work with Sustainable Harvest International across Guatemala and Panama, identifying successful methodologies of sustainable agriculture, sustaining small businesses, and achieving energy efficiency to enhance interdisciplinary curricular units.