#3 Zeke Cohen, in his first year as a teacher in Baltimore City Schools, recognized that his students’ view of the world did not go far beyond the streets of their Sandtown Winchester neighborhood.  To broaden their knowledge of the world around them, Zeke took a group of students to New Orleans to help rebuild a homes ravaged by Hurricane Katrina.

Zeke’s students returned to school and shared their experiences with their peers and their community members; they also wrote about their experiences in New Orleans and how the trip had changed the way they thought about the world.  Zeke later wrote, "I am deeply grateful for the opportunity provided to me by the [BCTT].  Without their support, this trip would not have been possible.  I highly encourage other teachers to apply for grants and to use this organization to do great things."

#4 Shannon Tweenter, a Language Arts Teacher at Learning Inc. in Baltimore, finds creative ways to engage students who are often disengaged in traditional classroom environments.  In her application for a BCTT grant, Shannon explained that "Learning Inc. strives to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty that our students are trapped in by helping them reinvest in their education ... My objective is to infuse reality-based projects into the curriculum to engage my students in their academics, thereby increasing attendance and retention."  Shannon used a BCTT grant to support four project-based learning programs that took her students outside of their classroom to musuems, a homeless shelter, and Annapolis.

These field trips were the culmination of intense, short-term investigations that allowed Shannon’s students to immerse themselves in discrete topics and then see the real-world application of their studies.

#2 In the spring of 2008, the BCTT awarded a grant to Jessica Cline, a middle school teacher at Baltimore's KIPP Ujima Village Academy.  With this grant, Jessica has implemented an etiquette program to teach critical social skills to seventh and eighth grade girls at her school.  Jessica's program includes class discussions, a book club, a weekly incentive program and a year-end field trip. Through these activities, Jessica's students reinforce social skills relevant to academic and professional environments, gain confidence and self-esteem and build lasting relationships with one another.

To download a full-sized version of the KIPP Ujima Village Academy etiquette program group photo, click on one of the following links:

•  KIPP Ujima Village Academy etiquette program group photo - black & white version  (5.19 MB file)
•  KIPP Ujima Village Academy etiquette program group photo - color version  (8.58 MB file)

#1 In the spring of 2007, the BCTT funded an after-school reading program proposed by Matt Nickerson, a teacher at Lemelle Middle School.  Matt's students meet three times a week to develop their reading fluency and increase their reading comprehension.  Each after-school session includes individual reading, shared reading, fluency practice and a snack.  Matt identifies each student's initial baseline reading level and measures their progress throughout the program.

Here, students are shown with their favorite books, which they personally select.  The BCTT grant that makes this program possible also allows the students to keep all of their books at the end of the program.