Every day, teachers help their students explore and learn from the world around them. Now, 25 educators from across Sarasota County will have the opportunity to renew their own curiosity and capacity to learn through Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation’s TIME Fellowship program.
The program has announced 25 inaugural fellows, each receiving up to $12,000 for teacher experiences that are intellectually revitalizing, personally renewing, and restore their passion for teaching. Citing the challenges the pandemic brought onto their personal and professional lives in their applications, they now plan to explore places across the world. The beauty of the program is that each fellow is allowed to design their own adventure and timeline.
Many of the projects are childhood dreams or bucket list items—from hiking across South America or Africa to studying ancient civilizations in Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Some plan to stay closer to home, like attending an American Ballet program in New York City or taking a writing retreat in Key West. The adrenaline seekers of the cohort plan to attend intensive weightlifting camps, sailing adventures, or surfing the waves of Maui and Costa Rica.
To see a summary of the projects, click here.
“While the teachers imagined different activities, they all proved their commitment and passion for teaching,” says Teri A Hansen, President|CEO of Barancik Foundation. “We know all educators have been through a lot, and our hope is that these experiences lead to significant renewal.”
The TIME Fellowship (Time to Inspire Margie’s Educators) was created this year in honor of Margery Barancik’s career as a teacher. The program was inspired by Lilly Endowment’s long-running Teacher Creativity Fellowship Program in Indiana, which began in 1987.
Barancik Foundation invited current Sarasota County School District K-12 public school teachers, assistant principals, and principals who have at least three years’ experience working at the District to apply to the program. All fellows must make a commitment to teaching in Sarasota County for at least another three years. The fellows, who were selected through an open application process, span an array of subjects across elementary, middle, and high schools from Sarasota to North Port.
