Westhampton Beach Teacher Wins Prestigious Grant To Study In Prague

WESTHAMPTON BEACH, NY — A Westhampton Beach Elementary School teacher will soon take her love of learning abroad.

Jennifer Wagner, a fourth grade ENL integrated classroom teacher, will be studying in Prague this summer after winning a grant from the Fund for Teachers organization, the Westhampton Beach school district said. Wagner is one of only 365 teachers from around the world to be awarded the grant, out of a pool of 10,000 applicants.

"I am excited to study in Prague and to use my experience and knowledge in my future classrooms," said Wagner, who has been a teacher in Westhampton Beach for the past eight years.

Wagner said she also intends to share what she learns with her colleagues.

In Prague, Wagner will participate in a creativity workshop, "where she will explore strategies for utilizing activities such as free-form drawing, photography, storytelling and mindfulness to bridge the academic performance and background knowledge gaps between English language learners from Central America and native English speakers," the district said.

Wagner was awarded the $5,000 for her "unwavering commitment to crafting a transformative learning experience, one that fuels your curiosity and positively impacts your students," according to the Fund for Teachers organization.