Those who do not learn history are bound to repeat it, and these teachers are ready to reach their students in new ways with a peek into the past of a certain Founding Father and the 18th century.
Educators nationwide submitted ideas on ways to teach children across the country about George Washington and the founding era of the U.S., and five have been chosen for the 2019 Life Guard Teacher Fellows Program, as well as one for the Reese Teacher fellowship through the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington.
The fellowships are awarded for one to three weeks of consecutive or non-consecutive study between June 2019 and August 2020, and fellows are reimbursed for one round trip to the library (located just steps away from Washington’s Mount Vernon Virginia estate), housing and a $1,000 stipend during each week of research.
The fellowship hopes to provide teachers a pathway to a better understanding and teaching techniques on the 18th century and Washington’s accomplishments. Fellows will create their own lesson plans, electronic media and other educational materials for their own use, and for the library to distribute to educators across the country.
Jennifer Burgin, a National Board-certified kindergarten teacher at Oakridge Elementary School in Arlington, was named a recipient of the fellowship on May 6. She will work with Helen Haas, a California-based kindergarten teacher at Our Lady of Perpetual Help School and Life Guard Teacher fellowship recipient, to create a bilingual children’s picture book on the history of George Washington, Mount Vernon and the 18th century. The book hopes to teach both English and Spanish-speaking students more about the roots of U.S. history, while being adaptable for immersion programs and bilingual students.
Other recipients of the fellowship include Matthew Van Horn of Missouri, John Clinton Walsh of Florida and Tecoya Brantley-Williams of South Carolina. Nick Costa of New York was awarded the Reese Teacher Fellowship.
The program is sponsored by The Life Guard Society, a group of donors to the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, and the William Reese Company. It is available to K-12 classroom teachers and educational specialists with the next round of proposals for the program due Feb. 28, 2020.
For more information on the Life Guard Teacher Fellows Program, visit Mount Vernon’s website.
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