Jamey Firnberg Jamey Firnberg

LA Teacher of the Year receives ADF Grant

Kylie Altier

Two weeks after moving here, I got my first email informing me of the Academic Distinction Fund. This grant seeks to inspire innovation in the classroom and aims to fund teachers’ wildest ideas to promote student growth. Fast forward to my spring semester. I got to take students to the moon and hear a new type of excitement squeal from the most deserving little ones! We have walked alongside komodo dragons, peeked over the edge of the Great Wall, and looked up at the larger-than-life redwood trees in California. There are loud moments of students screaming out about all they are experiencing, and there are quiet moments where one may sit on the ground in awe. In all the moments, I see curiosity, connections, and critical thinking taking place. While the VR headsets have changed my classroom, another huge impact has been learning that local companies and organizations want to hear from teachers on how we make schools and our communities a better place. 

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