We published a cool series of lesson plans developed by State Teachers of the Year too…
EF Educational Tours lit the Empire State Building “EF pink” on Friday, May 12, 2017 to thank educators and mark the end of Teacher Appreciation Week 2017
For more than 50 years, EF Educational Tours has proudly partnered with educators to help students broaden their perspectives by encouraging them to step out of the classroom and begin exploring the world. And while the educational travel experiences we build together are truly transformational, we know they are but one of the MANY ways teachers across America are preparing their students for long-term college and career success.
Which is why we decided to go big for Teacher Appreciation Week (May 8 – May 12) by lighting the Empire State Building in EF’s signature pink on Friday, May 12. When we learned about the opportunity to partner with the Empire State Building for this activation, we jumped at the chance. What better way to thank teachers across America, and show them that a bright light is shining on them and the good work they do, than by literally lighting up one of the country’s most notable landmarks?
But that’s not all! Through our ongoing collaboration with the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), which runs the National Teacher of the Year program, we continued our show of “thanks” by publishing a series of lesson plans developed by State Teachers of the Year (STOY) – serving them up via free download (at this link) for educators who might like to use them in their classrooms.
The State Teachers’ lesson plans were primarily inspired by a recent scholarship trip to Europe, although several of the lessons were developed by STOYs who’ve worked with EF in other ways. In conjunction with CCSSO and kicking-off last year, EF Tours has committed to sending five STOYs each year on scholarship to our annual EF Global Leadership Summit. The inaugural cohort of STOY scholarship recipients traveled to Finland and The Hague last summer to explore topics related to human rights with keynote speaker Nicholas Kristoff. The lesson plans were developed by the following STOYs around a variety of topics, including:
- Child Migrants in the U.S. by 2016 New Jersey STOY Chelsea Collins
- How to Create a Social Business by 2015 Massachusetts STOY Dr. Jeff Shea
- Writing About Immigration Journeys Using Google My Maps by 2016 Colorado STOY Leticia Ingram
- Design Thinking, Technology & the Future of Education by 2016 Kentucky STOY Ashley Lamb Sinclair
- Using Design Thinking to Explore the Universality of Human Rights by 2012 Connecticut STOY Dr. David Bosso
To conclude Teacher Appreciation Week, we capped everything off by announcing the 2017 State Teacher of the Year scholarship recipients who will travel to Finland and Milan this coming July (along with more than 1,500 teachers and students from across the U.S., Canada, and Europe) to explore the future of food with Anthony Bourdain at the 2017 EF Summit.
Congratulations to 2017 State Teacher of the Year scholarship recipients Kelly Elder from Montana, Jitka Nelson from Indiana, Amber Vlasnik from Nebraska, Sean Wybrant from Colorado, and Kelisa Wing representing Department of Defense Education Activity! Each of these STOYs presented a compelling vision around the future of global education to earn their scholarship trips.
We hope every teacher around the country and the world felt some love from EF during Teacher Appreciation Week!