Schachner Receives Competitive Fellowship
Amy Schachner, a master of arts in education student from Hillsboro, Mo., has been selected for a Knowles Science Teaching Foundation Fellowship, created to support outstanding beginning teachers.
Amy Schachner accepts a resolution recognizing her achievement as a Knowles Science Teaching Foundation Fellowship recipient from Truman State University Board of Governors Chair Matthew Potter at the April 10 Board Meeting. Schachner is the first Truman student to receive the Fellowship.
The KSTF is designed to cultivate and support exemplary science and mathematics high school teachers and develop the next generation of leaders in education. Specifically, the teaching fellowship aims to keep exceptional teachers in the profession by providing them with comprehensive professional development, mentoring and a community of peers.
Renewable for up to five years, the KSTF Fellowship provides tuition, monthly stipends and financial resources for the classroom, as well as travel and room and board expenses for three conferences a year.
“The fellowship is a great opportunity for me to continue on in professional development throughout my first five years of teaching,” Schachner said. “My hope is that the support I receive in KSTF will allow me to devote the time and energy I need to teach my students and give them the best education possible.”
Schachner is the first Truman student to receive this highly competitive fellowship. Her adviser, Susan LaGrassa, has been encouraging Truman students to apply for about three years, not only for financial reasons, but also for the opportunities it provides.
“The contacts she’ll make will allow her to do anything she wants to in the field,” LaGrassa said. “I suppose it is a little like winning the Tour de France. Not many people know about it, it is really hard to do, and when you do it, every door you could want to enter is opened for you.”
Schachner submitted her initial application in January. A few weeks later the applicants were narrowed down and participated in a 45-minute phone interview. Schachner was among the approximately 70 finalists invited to an interview weekend in Philadelphia March 12-13. She is one of only 11 mathematics fellowship recipients this year.
While Schachner has always enjoyed mathematics and teaching, she credits high school teacher Daniel Horridge with inspiring her.
“He was not only a great teacher who related the subject matter to his students well, but he also cared about us as unique individuals and gave us the respect we thought we deserved,” she said.
Schachner plans to teach high school mathematics starting in the fall.
Amy Schachner accepts a resolution recognizing her achievement as a Knowles Science Teaching Foundation Fellowship recipient from Truman State University Board of Governors Chair Matthew Potter at the April 10 Board Meeting. Schachner is the first Truman student to receive the Fellowship.
The KSTF is designed to cultivate and support exemplary science and mathematics high school teachers and develop the next generation of leaders in education. Specifically, the teaching fellowship aims to keep exceptional teachers in the profession by providing them with comprehensive professional development, mentoring and a community of peers.
Renewable for up to five years, the KSTF Fellowship provides tuition, monthly stipends and financial resources for the classroom, as well as travel and room and board expenses for three conferences a year.
“The fellowship is a great opportunity for me to continue on in professional development throughout my first five years of teaching,” Schachner said. “My hope is that the support I receive in KSTF will allow me to devote the time and energy I need to teach my students and give them the best education possible.”
Schachner is the first Truman student to receive this highly competitive fellowship. Her adviser, Susan LaGrassa, has been encouraging Truman students to apply for about three years, not only for financial reasons, but also for the opportunities it provides.
“The contacts she’ll make will allow her to do anything she wants to in the field,” LaGrassa said. “I suppose it is a little like winning the Tour de France. Not many people know about it, it is really hard to do, and when you do it, every door you could want to enter is opened for you.”
Schachner submitted her initial application in January. A few weeks later the applicants were narrowed down and participated in a 45-minute phone interview. Schachner was among the approximately 70 finalists invited to an interview weekend in Philadelphia March 12-13. She is one of only 11 mathematics fellowship recipients this year.
While Schachner has always enjoyed mathematics and teaching, she credits high school teacher Daniel Horridge with inspiring her.
“He was not only a great teacher who related the subject matter to his students well, but he also cared about us as unique individuals and gave us the respect we thought we deserved,” she said.
Schachner plans to teach high school mathematics starting in the fall.
