Mineola High School math teacher Bette Sloane was among 365 teachers from across the United States to win a Fund for Teachers Fellowship Grant.
As a recipient of this award, Sloane received $5,000 to fund her summer travel to Australia and New Zealand, where she explored the rich connections of art, math and culture through experiential learning.
Sloane’s proposal to Fund for Teachers was “to explore the mathematical motifs
present in the art of the indigenous cultures of Australia — Aboriginal Dreamtime art — and
New Zealand — Maori Ta Moko traditional tattoo art — and develop class projects rooted in
community and culture that connect geometric concepts to art while honoring a First
Nations perspective.”
Some of her travel highlights included the Milford Sound in Fiordland National Park, New Zealand, taking a Dreamtime art painting class taught by an Aboriginal Australian artist, learning firsthand about traditional Maōri tattoo art from experts in “ta moko” history and culture and snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef.
This is Sloane’s third time being awarded the Fund for Teachers Fellowship. In 2019, she received a travel grant that funded her trip to China and Japan. In 2021 she was accepted into the Innovation Circles program where she contributed to a project on equity in education.
Fund for Teachers supports educators’ efforts to develop skills, knowledge and confidence that impact student achievement. By trusting teachers to design unique fellowships, Fund for Teachers grants validate teachers’ professionalism and leadership, as well.
Since 2001, Fund for Teachers has invested $37 million in nearly 10,000 teachers, transforming grants into growth for teachers and their students.
