Meet the 2014 Alabama Fund for Teachers Fellows

On Saturday, I attended the orientation meeting for the 2014 Fund for Teachers fellows.  Meeting the other fellows and hearing about their inspired proposals for learning this summer makes me very proud to be associated with this group.  You can read about what our Alabama fellows are planning on the Fund for Teachers Tumblr.

My official badge, but I had to leave it there for our meeting in September.

We began the day hearing from a few of last year's fellows.  They gave us great advice and tips for making the most of our fellowships while maintaining the documentation needed to meet the grant requirements.

All of the fellows will be documenting their learning this summer, many of them using blogs.  I have enjoyed reading the blogs of our guest speakers from Saturday.  You can, too.  

• Clinton Merritt's blog about his experience in Chicago (Second City, wow!) and The University of Nebraska Festival in Lincoln, Nebraska. 
• Lindsay Lou's Happenings about her exploration of folk art in New Mexico, including attending CRIZMAC.  She shared some beautiful artwork created by her students as a result of her trip. 
• 2lavaladies - about Mrs. Langford and Mrs. Ogle's adventures in Costa Rica.  I particularly enjoyed hearing Mrs. Langford talk about the enthusiasm of her young ecotour guides.  That is exactly the kind of spirit I want to see in my young students.  They all have a deep interest in something, we just have to help them find ways to explore it and develop it into something creative and productive.

While I'm not traveling outside of the country, and there will be little chance of pictures of me in picturesque settings, or conquering the wild, I am thrilled and excited to be going to ISTE in Atlanta this summer.  I feel a sense of responsibility to my school, my district, and APT/Fund for Teachers to learn as much as I can and share it with as many people as possible.