Dr. Tim Foster Named Fellow for the National Book Foundation Teacher Fellowship
The National Book Foundation has named Oskaloosa High School Spanish teacher Dr. Tim Foster one of eight members of the inaugural cohort selected for the NBF Teacher Fellowship.
The NBF Teacher Fellowship is a new initiative developed to support and celebrate teachers serving grades 6-12 using innovative methods to enhance reading experiences. Each fellow receives a $3,000 stipend upon program completion, along with a $2,000 book-buying budget.
The fellows commit to developing or enhancing an initiative within their classrooms aimed at fostering a passion for reading. They will also integrate National Book Award-honored titles into their curricula and engage in a professional learning community alongside their cohort.
The 2023-24 NBF Teacher Fellowship members were selected by a committee of five authors, educators, and literary experts.
“We are immensely proud of Dr. Foster’s achievement in securing this invaluable educational opportunity for himself and, more significantly, for his students,” said Mike Fisher, Superintendent. “As a NBF teacher fellow, he gains access to extremely valuable resources that will greatly expand reading opportunities for our students studying Spanish. This is indeed a remarkable accomplishment.”
To connect his students with world-class literature, Dr. Foster plans to organize book circles for students in upper-level Spanish classes. His objectives are to enhance language fluency, immerse students in the cultures of Spanish-speaking cultures and communities, and motivate them to explore diverse narrative experiences in both English and Spanish.
The 2023-24 NBF teacher fellows are educators in urban, suburban, and rural communities across Georgia, Iowa, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and Texas. Their subject areas include English language arts, social studies, Spanish, and a special education reading intervention class that, when combined, will serve over 1,400 students in grades 6-12 during the 2023-24 school year. All eight of the selected NBF Teacher Fellows will implement dynamic activities that foster a culture of reading and encourage students to become lifelong readers.
To learn more about the National Book Foundation’s Teacher Fellowship Program, please visit https://www.nationalbook.org/programs/national-book-foundation-teacher-fellowship/.
