You can't win if you don't play. True in lotto and true in teaching.
A few weeks ago I became a Fund for Teachers (FFT) fellow. This means that I have been awarded a grant for travel that will further the work I am doing in my classroom. When I started talking about this with other educators, I found many that many had never heard of FFT. This summer, through my grant, I will be attending the first ever SPACE conference for educators at the Kennedy Space Center run by the Astronauts Memorial Foundation. I also recently applied to be a social media correspondant for a NASA launch (though I think maybe I need a few more followers....@sciencecimini on Insta and Twitter). I heard of the conference and social media opportunity through a NASA email and FFT from other teachers.
Three years ago I became part of Math for America (MfA) as a Master Teacher. This amazing organization supports science and math teachers in NYC (and other cities throughout the US) with excellent professional development, a dedicated community of educators and a generous stipend. I let every math and science teacher I meet know about MfA and most have never heard about it.
Recently, I wrote my first Donor's Choose grants. Though my projects have not yet been funded, a few weeks the cryptocurrency company Ripple funded every classroom project on the Donor's Choose site (I was a few weeks too late😩). This site, through not made specifically for teachers, provides a platform where thousands of classroom projects can get funded.
I have applied for grants, workshop opportunities with Science Friday, NASA, Ignite STEM, the Wildlife Conservation Society, The American Museum of Natural History, the NYS Geologists, The Intrepid and the Gate's Foundation just to name a few (some of which were successful and some...not so much). Last year I learned of NOAA's Teacher at Sea program. They will be seeing an application from me in the coming years. I have been applying to present at conferences and have had proposals accepted for a few (and am working on a few more as we speak). I am trying to put myself out there as much as possible (including with this blog).
Update (May 7): I am not going to be a social media correspondant for a NASA launch or part of the Science FridayTeacher Collaborative (as per their polite rejection emails) but I am going to keep putting myself out there!
My purpose in saying all this is not to toot my own horn. I am certainly unsuccessful as often, if not more often, than I am successful. As educators we are underpaid, under appreciated and every politician thinks they can do our job better than we can. But we know what it truly takes to run a successful classroom. The purpose of this post is to let educators out there know that there are thousands of resources available if you just look. People want to help us and they want to help kids. All you have to do is look and apply.
Often we are held back from taking advantage of opportunities by the time it takes to apply and I totally get that. With a full teaching load and a small child, I barely have time to eat, let alone write applications for grants and organizations. But we I have been able to carve out the time and go for it, it is completely worth every minute. When I first looked at the MfA application I was going to skip it because it looked like a bit of a bear. There was a test, essays, an interview and recommendation letters. But I bit the bullet and did it. And I absolutely LOVE MfA. It has made me a better educator (and the money certainly doesn't hurt). I never expected to get the FFT grant. But I did. Find the time. Even if you don't get it, you can reuse essays and experiences. It gets easier each time. And, for the love of Pete, if you are a NYC math or science teacher, apply for MfA!
Teaching is a team effort. And our team is much bigger than you think. Individuals and organizations all over the world want to help us make our classrooms even more awesome than they already are. All you have to do is apply. Take the time. It will revitalize your classroom, your teaching your students and you.
A few weeks ago I became a Fund for Teachers (FFT) fellow. This means that I have been awarded a grant for travel that will further the work I am doing in my classroom. When I started talking about this with other educators, I found many that many had never heard of FFT. This summer, through my grant, I will be attending the first ever SPACE conference for educators at the Kennedy Space Center run by the Astronauts Memorial Foundation. I also recently applied to be a social media correspondant for a NASA launch (though I think maybe I need a few more followers....@sciencecimini on Insta and Twitter). I heard of the conference and social media opportunity through a NASA email and FFT from other teachers.
Three years ago I became part of Math for America (MfA) as a Master Teacher. This amazing organization supports science and math teachers in NYC (and other cities throughout the US) with excellent professional development, a dedicated community of educators and a generous stipend. I let every math and science teacher I meet know about MfA and most have never heard about it.
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| At the Staten Island Museum with students through a ConEd funded program. |
Recently, I wrote my first Donor's Choose grants. Though my projects have not yet been funded, a few weeks the cryptocurrency company Ripple funded every classroom project on the Donor's Choose site (I was a few weeks too late😩). This site, through not made specifically for teachers, provides a platform where thousands of classroom projects can get funded.
I have applied for grants, workshop opportunities with Science Friday, NASA, Ignite STEM, the Wildlife Conservation Society, The American Museum of Natural History, the NYS Geologists, The Intrepid and the Gate's Foundation just to name a few (some of which were successful and some...not so much). Last year I learned of NOAA's Teacher at Sea program. They will be seeing an application from me in the coming years. I have been applying to present at conferences and have had proposals accepted for a few (and am working on a few more as we speak). I am trying to put myself out there as much as possible (including with this blog).
Update (May 7): I am not going to be a social media correspondant for a NASA launch or part of the Science FridayTeacher Collaborative (as per their polite rejection emails) but I am going to keep putting myself out there!
My purpose in saying all this is not to toot my own horn. I am certainly unsuccessful as often, if not more often, than I am successful. As educators we are underpaid, under appreciated and every politician thinks they can do our job better than we can. But we know what it truly takes to run a successful classroom. The purpose of this post is to let educators out there know that there are thousands of resources available if you just look. People want to help us and they want to help kids. All you have to do is look and apply.
Often we are held back from taking advantage of opportunities by the time it takes to apply and I totally get that. With a full teaching load and a small child, I barely have time to eat, let alone write applications for grants and organizations. But we I have been able to carve out the time and go for it, it is completely worth every minute. When I first looked at the MfA application I was going to skip it because it looked like a bit of a bear. There was a test, essays, an interview and recommendation letters. But I bit the bullet and did it. And I absolutely LOVE MfA. It has made me a better educator (and the money certainly doesn't hurt). I never expected to get the FFT grant. But I did. Find the time. Even if you don't get it, you can reuse essays and experiences. It gets easier each time. And, for the love of Pete, if you are a NYC math or science teacher, apply for MfA!
Teaching is a team effort. And our team is much bigger than you think. Individuals and organizations all over the world want to help us make our classrooms even more awesome than they already are. All you have to do is apply. Take the time. It will revitalize your classroom, your teaching your students and you.
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