In July and August, several groups are hosting educator expos to help teachers learn about organizations and products that advance student learning. Here’s a roundup of upcoming events and resources for Arizona teachers:
• July is Educator Appreciation Month at the Musical Instrument Museum in north Phoenix. From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on July 1-31, prekindergarten through high-school educators, school and district administrators, principals, registered student teachers and homeschool educators get free museum MIM admission with a school ID. Teachers also get a 10 percent discount at MIM’s Café Allegro, coffee shop and museum store.
• The Heard Museum in Phoenix hosts its free Teacher Institute from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, July 23-25. The three-day course offers Arizona K-12 educators standards-based tools and resources to teach American Indian history, culture and art. Participants will gain an understanding of American Indian Boarding Schools, American Indian Contemporary Art and Native People of the Southwest through lectures, presentations, guest speakers, artist demonstrations, gallery tours and discussions. Inquire about attendance at education@heard.org.
• Applications are due Friday, Aug. 3 for the Arizona Educational Foundation’s 2019 Arizona Teacher of the Year award. Interested teachers must complete the online application and get three letters of recommendation. Ten finalists who are selected from the written applications will prepare a 15-minute video of teaching in the classroom. The Teacher of the Year and four “Ambassadors for Excellence” will be announced at an awards luncheon on Thursday, Oct. 25.
• From 4:30-6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 16, educators are invited to a free Educator Preview Night at Mesa Arts Center to explore the upcoming season of arts and cultural experiences for K-12 students. Participants will be treated to live entertainment, food and drink and will get advance access to student tickets for National Geographic Live! and Performing Live for Students.
• Phoenix Art Museum hosts its 4th Annual Educator Arts Day and Cultural Resource Fair on from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 25. Activities and resources include professional development workshops, a cultural resource fair and lunch. All Arizona educators are welcome to attend this free event.
• The Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation is accepting applications for the $100,000 School Challenge, presented by University of Phoenix. The program is open to all Arizona public, private and nonprofit charter schools, grades K-12, and teachers and administrators are encouraged to “make their best pitch” for up to $5,000 of funding in an online application due Friday, Sept. 28. The grants have helped Arizona schools with innovative programs ranging from laundry and showers for homeless students to 3D printers, a nine-hole mini golf course and a computer programming buddy system. Visit dbacks.com/schoolchallenge
• The national Kids in Need Foundation operates 39 resource centers across the country where teachers can shop for free art and school supplies, including Treasures4Teachers in Tempe. Treasures4Teachers also welcomes donations — from traditional school supplies (notebook paper, pencils and crayons) to such nontraditional items as carpet squares, wallpaper and fabric samples, ice-cream containers — even jigsaw puzzles with missing pieces, tennis-ball containers and empty tissue boxes.
• Fifty teachers and 1,600 students in Arizona public schools can try out a free new curriculum aimed at creating more entrepreneurs and creative problem-solvers as part of an Innovate Arizona program. The curriculum is EdgeMakers Innovative Thinking course — designed to teach creativity, storytelling, design thinking, collaboration, and entrepreneurship — to students in grades 6-12. Teachers who are interested in learning more can email kevin@edgemakers.com. Title I schools are prioritized.
