Here is what teachers have to say about the CHEF grant program:
Concerning a grant for a field trip on the Kalmar Nyckel: “Getting 100 fifth graders on the ship was not feasible without assistance…Teaching this unit has been an enormous learning experience for me and has made me a better educator (and sailor!).”
— Alison Selders, Fifth Grade, Milton Elementary
Concerning a grant to improve coordination, balance and learning for kindergarten students: “This teacher told me that these [behaviorally-challenged] students had been resistant to learning in the traditional way, but they joyfully grasped sight words and beginning sounds using the trampolines.”
— Kathy Lynch, Physical Education Teacher, H. O. Brittingham Elementary
Concerning a grant on literature circle using books on teen issues: “…these books…weren’t daunting to my reluctant readers…The freedom to choose made it seem less like an assignment…and these books gave equal footing to everyone in the classroom. Some of the best dialogue came from my ‘struggling’ students who don’t always earn the highest grades…they shared with one another a maturity that didn’t present itself otherwise.”
— Jaclyn Swearingen, 8th grade, Beacon Middle School