Tina Heinecke-Kurtz, Social Studies and Science Teacher at Silver Lake Intermediate School, has been selected as a 2018 Museum Teacher Fellow by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Kurtz was one of 24 educators nation-wide, chosen for the program. Educators must show evidence of extensive knowledge of Holocaust history, successful teaching experience, and participation in community and professional organizations. Selection preference is given to applicants who have attended the Arthur and Rochelle Belfer National Conference for Educators, which Kurtz attended last year.
As a Museum Teacher Fellow, Kurtz was invited to a five-day institute in Washington, DC, designed to immerse Fellows in advanced historical issues and teaching training. Established in 1996, the Museum Teacher Fellowship Program has developed a national corps of skilled educators to help lead the Museum's efforts to ensure quality Holocaust education in secondary schools. Kurtz is one of 394 Museum Teacher Fellows who has completed the program since its inception.
"The Museum Teacher Fellows play a vital role in bringing the lessons of the Holocaust to communities around the country," says Gretchen Skidmore, director of the Museum's education initiatives in the Levine Institute for Holocaust Education. "Teaching students critical thinking skills as well as providing resources that encourage in-depth examination of how and why the Holocaust happened are key components of the Museum's ongoing engagement with educators across the country."
As a Fellow, Kurtz will work to create and implement an outreach project in the community, then share her work with other Fellows at a conference next July.
Tina Heinecke-Kurtz, Silver Lake Intermediate School Teacher