Over and Above

Good teachers are busy, busy people. Aside from the hours actually spent in the classroom, they are always thinking, always on the look-out for new ideas, new ways to capture their students’ attention and cause them to learn. They know that boredom is a constant enemy in a classroom; thus their goal is to be constantly creative, constantly striving for new ways to teach.

In the City of Hayward, such teachers get support from the Hayward Education Foundation, a non-profit organization established in 1983 to grant funds for those teachers willing to go that creative extra mile. Last year alone, HEF provided $20,000 to thirty teachers who applied for these grants, and since 1983, HEF has supported teacher ideas with over a million dollars.

And those ideas are spread across both public and private schools, and every curriculum subject and every level of education. Every Hayward teacher can apply for HEF grants, and yearly, many do.

Literacy grants went to Tyrell, Fairview, and Cherryland Elementary schools, while at the high school level, grants at Tennyson range from pre-reading for Special Day Students, to the study of “Fences,” by renowned playwright August Wilson.

Students at Longwood will work together in Common Core Math Groups, Math Tools for First Graders will shine at Ruus, while at Bowman, Developing Number Sense will be a focus.

Science is also a popular grant subject. At Mt. Eden, “Hands on Physics,” and “Robotic Challenge” carry the day, while Silver Oak High rises to the stars with “Intro to Astronomy.” All Saints is also in outer space with “Earth’s Moon and Phases,” “STEAM education” chugs around East Avenue, while at sunny Ruus, students learn to harness “Solar Power.”

Two schools—Ruus and Schafer Park—will teach through their gardens, supported by Tyrrell’s “Caterpillar to Butterfly.” Electricity will be learned at Cherryland, Computer programming at East Avenue, statistics at Longwood, as well as “Hands on Art” at both Schafer Park and Cherryland. At Stonebrae, students will be involved in “Publishing Our Own Books,” the ultimate goal of reading and writing.

The broad array of learning supported by H.E.F. in the schools of Hayward is impressive—both in this year, as well as the last 30+ years. These are the lessons that are beyond the norm, that students will remember all their lives. Thus to support Hayward education, enthusiastic folks should support H.E.F., because its continued support of the schools and teachers and students of Hayward is a benefit for the whole community.