This summer, two dedicated educators from Westlake High School will embark on unique professional development journeys through prestigious programs, enhancing their teaching methodologies and enriching their classrooms.
Lisa Landrum-May, an English teacher at Westlake High, has been selected for two summer institutes sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities. These programs are designed to deepen participants' knowledge of the humanities through comprehensive discussions and collaborative learning. Landrum-May aims to integrate the insights gained from these institutes into her teaching. "These institutes will provide background knowledge I will use when teaching various novels to my English students," she explained. Additionally, Landrum-May teaches the newly introduced Advanced Placement African American Studies at Westlake, and she believes the institutes will significantly benefit her curriculum delivery.
Moreover, Landrum-May has been chosen as a Fulbright Specialist, a role that facilitates project-based exchanges for U.S. academics and professionals globally. Over the next three years, she will be eligible to engage in exchanges that can last between two to six weeks. "It will allow me to give back and learn more internationally since I will travel outside of the U.S.," Landrum-May commented, expressing her enthusiasm for the global experience and cultural interactions the position will offer.
Nelcy Avila, who heads the World Language department and teaches Spanish at Westlake, has been selected for the Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad Program. This initiative, funded by the U.S. Department of Education and Towson University, focuses on enhancing foreign language education and area studies in American educational institutions. Avila will travel to Peru from June to August 2024, collaborating with a team to develop a cross-disciplinary curriculum that highlights various Peruvian communities' voices.
Avila's project, titled "Partners in Education: Working Together to Enhance the Teaching of Latin America — Peru, 2024," involves 15 other educators and aims to implement a new teaching framework that is sensitive to the diverse cultural landscape of Peru. "Studying in Peru for the first time would permit me to learn from a wide range of Peruvians: educators, Afro-Peruvians, indigenous and migrants from the Andes," Avila said, underlining her goal to delve into the historical and societal dimensions of the region to better understand and convey the complexities of cultural fluidity and identity representation in her teaching.
These opportunities not only highlight the individual commitments of Landrum-May and Avila to professional growth but also underscore Westlake High School's supportive environment that encourages its educators to seek continual learning and improvement. Through their upcoming international experiences, both teachers anticipate bringing back valuable insights and methodologies that will benefit their students and the broader school community.
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