Our team is always looking for more ways to support elementary teachers. We listen closely to teachers, and we hear them express their need for financial support to underwrite the costs of professional development and materials. We are so pleased to have a partner in MathWorks, the Natick-based software company that is funding professional development opportunities for Massachusetts educators for the second year in a row. This year, the EiE/MathWorks scholarship program is bringing engineering to Haverhill Public Schools.
Thanks to a generous $15,000 gift from MathWorks, 15 educators from Haverhill, Massachusetts public schools will have the opportunity to work with the EiE professional development team. Each scholarship includes tuition to attend a one-day EiE workshop at the Consentino School in Haverhill this November, and a complete set of classroom materials: an EiE Teacher Guide, a class set of storybooks, and a Materials Kit.
We believe that professional development is the key to getting teachers—and in turn, students!—excited about engineering. Our workshops are designed to enhance teachers’ understanding of engineering and technology and introduce them to the EiE curriculum, but they also increase teachers’ confidence and show them how to implement hands-on, open-ended challenges in their own classrooms. Because our unique PD workshops allow educators to experience EiE units as teachers and as students, they leave equipped with the strategies, resources, and hands-on experience they need to succeed.
Our founder and director, Christine Cunningham, is thrilled that we are able to reach out to teachers in our own backyard thanks to this gift. “Confident and well-supported teachers are fundamental to the success of all learners,” she says. “If we aim to innovate today’s classrooms, we need to provide teachers with the resources they need to implement high-quality STEM instruction. MathWorks’ continued support enables us to do so.”
Last year, the MathWorks gift funded PD workshops for educators from three Massachusetts school districts: Brockton, Lowell, and Haverhill. In Brockton, the scholarship had an incredible ripple effect—the teachers who attended an EiE workshop spearheaded a district-wide EiE implementation, proving that a scholarship can go a long way with dedicated educators. We can’t wait to see what’s in store for the fifteen Haverhill teachers this year! Be sure to keep an eye on our scholarships page or subscribe to our newsletter to hear about future scholarship opportunities.
