WASHINGTON, D.C. — The NEA Foundation, a public charity founded by educators for educators, has named Maggie Wachtl, a science teacher at Cony High School in Augusta, Maine, as a 2019 NEA Foundation Global Learning Fellow.
As a fellow, Wachtl will spend a year in a peer learning network, building global competency skills — the capacity to understand and act on issues of global significance.
The 2019 NEA Foundation Global Learning Fellows teach all grade levels and all subjects, from visual and performing arts to agri-science to journalism to history. They work in rural, suburban and urban schools. They are national board certified, curriculum coaches, IB coordinators, foreign language speakers and more. The fellows reflect the diverse workforce of public education, which allows them to learn from each other and to bring global perspectives to a wide range of students. They share a passion for global education and an unwavering commitment for preparing America’s students with 21st century skills.
Over the course of a year, the NEA Foundation staff, partners, and field experts will support the fellows as they immerse themselves in online coursework, webinars and collegial study, including a two-day professional development workshop this fall and a nine-day international field study next summer. The field study brings the cohort together as they investigate the historical and cultural context of the country they visit and interact with local educators, students, administrators, and policy-makers; make school visits; and hear from business and non-profit leaders.
The 2019 Fellows will use what they learn during the year to prepare their students for global citizenship. They will create valuable global lesson plans for their students freely shared with educators across the nation and the world through open source platforms. They will also share their methods for globalizing instructional practice and advocate in their communities and beyond for global education.
Get to know all of the 2019 NEA Foundation Learning Fellows by visiting neafoundation.org. The NEA Foundation will accept applications for the 2020 Global Learning Fellowship this fall.
