State Farm Insurance Company gave the Nebraska Math and Science Summer Institutes program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln a $20,000 grant to help pay for the tuition of 32 elementary, middle and high school teachers who are taking a NMSSI graduate course.
The institute worked with the university and the Nebraska Foundation on finding corporate donors, said Lindsay Augustyn, outreach and communications coordinator for the Center for Science, Mathematics and Computer Education. State Farm was one of the companies recommended.
After applying online for the grant, the institute communicated with State Farm via video and teleconferencing.
State Farm is very passionate about education, said Angelene Hennes, a public affairs specialist at State Farm.
"Our company recognizes that the first step to success is having a good teacher that inspires students," she said.
Hennes said State Farm was honored to support the institute and strengthen the communities throughout Nebraska.
"This was a chance to allow 32 teachers to enhance their knowledge of math and science," she said. "We thought it would be a great opportunity for State Farm to not only impact the teachers, but for them to also give back to their students to achieve great results," she said.
NMSSI provides graduate-level courses aimed for teachers that are completed in one or two weeks. Each course is three credits.
"We know teachers don't want to use up all of their summer taking courses," Augustyn said.
Normally, tuition ranges from $600 to $700, but for those teachers who have their tuition costs covered, they only have to pay the fees of the course.
Augustyn said the teachers are immersed in development, with each course amounting to 40 hours a week, or full days of learning.
"The intense program we've set up has shown a difference in their students' learning," she said.
The teachers get a lot out of it in terms of approaching math problems, Augustyn said.
"They're learning and relearning math and science concepts they already know, but they're learning new ways to teach it," she said.
This allows teachers to increase their confidence level, and by association, their teaching skills also.
There are 45 teachers currently enrolled in these classes, including some from out of state.
"This year, we were able to have offices in eight counties," Augustyn said. "We sent professors from not just UNL, but other places in Nebraska, to travel and teach them there."
These places include Scottsbluff, Kearney and Norfolk, among others.
"It's been great to reach out to outer Nebraska," Augustyn said.
With U.S. students falling behind the rest of the world in mathematics and science, this is an opportunity for the institute to help these teachers engage their students in those subjects.
"What we're really trying to change is the perception that mathematics is hard," she said. "We're trying to show teachers that they have to present the information in a number of different ways."
kimbuckley@dailynebraskan.com
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