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The Fund for Teachers provides grants for full-time K-12 classroom teachers to rejuvenate their passion for learning then pass that enthusiasm on to their students.
A partnership between the Saint Paul Public Schools (SPPS), the national Fund for Teachers and The Saint Paul Foundation has provided teachers in the SPPS district with grants for unique summer enrichment opportunities.
By recognizing the value of their own personal potential, the Fund helps teachers to more easily inspire potential in their students.
About the Founder. Raymond Plank, founder, chairman and CEO of Houston-based Apache Corporation established the Fund in 1997. Plank believed that school teachers at the K-12 level have important roles in shaping young people and wanted to offer opportunities for recognition and encouragement.
The program now operates in several communities nationwide. If you have questions, please contact Carrie Jo Short, senior program officer, at cjs@saintpaulfoundation.org.
 Photo: Abdisalam Adam is crowded by kindergarten students at recess at Garissa Primary School in Kenya excited to get a closer look at a teacher in America.
Abdisalam Adam returned to Somalia this summer, his first trip to his birthplace in 15 years. The trip was personally meaningful, but the real objective was professional.
Abdisalam, a teacher in the Saint Paul Public Schools English Language Learner (ELL) program, wanted to understand what school and life are like for students in Somalia today so he could better serve the growing population of Somali immigrants in Saint Paul schools. In addition to Somalia, Abdisalam also visited Ethiopia and Kenya, countries that many Somali immigrants travel through on their way to Minnesota.
“This trip has literally recharged my enthusiasm to serve Saint Paul Public School students,” says Abdisalam. “I’ve achieved tremendous personal and professional growth and hands-on resources that will greatly benefit my students.”
Abdisalam’s trip was made possible by a grant from the Fund for Teachers, a special program of The Saint Paul Foundation that enriches Saint Paul Public School teachers’ lives through experiential learning and travel.
Abdisalam was one of 11 teachers who received grants in 2003 ranging from $2,000 to $4,500 for travel to places including Guatemala, Peru, Bolivia, Africa, Mexico, Thailand and Scotland.
The fund originated in 2001 when philanthropist Ray Plank approached the Foundation with a challenge grant that was matched by the Mardag Foundation and the F. R. Bigelow Foundation, along with the Katherine B. Andersen Fund of The Saint Paul Foundation.
As the Saint Paul area and its schools become increasingly diverse, international experiences give teachers valuable perspective.
Although Minnesota has the largest population of Somali immigrants and refugees in the nation and Saint Paul Public Schools serves a growing number of students from that area, Abdisalam is one of only a few native Somalis working in the ELL program.
Abdisalam says he attained a broader and deeper perspective on the experiences of Somali students in the three East African countries he visited and gathered educational materials that will help ELL staff develop and raise cultural understanding between district staff and the Somali community in the Twin Cities. |
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