In celebration of the new school year, the Library of Congress welcomed two teachers from Connecticut and Idaho to work closely with the Library’s primary sources collections in Washington, D.C.

The following teachers will help make primary sources at the Library more accessible for students and teachers everywhere.

Carolyn Bennet, a music teacher at Wheeler Middle/High School in North Stonington, Connecticut, has been selected to serve as the 2018-2019 teacher-in-residence at the Library.

Kellie Taylor, a K-5 engineering teacher at the Galileo Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Academy in Eagle, Idaho, has been selected to serve as the Library’s Albert Einstein Fellow.

 “Primary sources were not created with a particular grade level or subject matter in mind – but they can serve as powerful teaching tools across the grade spectrum and across the curriculum,” said Lee Ann Potter, director of the Educational Outreach division in the Library.

“We are very excited to work with Carolyn and Kellie to make the Library’s treasures more discoverable and usable, especially for music and STEM teachers.”

Since 2000, the Library has recruited educators to work with its Educational Outreach division to help teachers and school librarians incorporate the Library’s digitized primary sources into the nation’s K-12 community.

The teachers-in-residence, for example, have helped the Library bring its collections, and powerful strategies for integrating them into instruction, to classrooms across the country.

“I am thrilled to dive into the Library’s online collections and develop plans to share these with my students,” said Bennett.

Bennett has been a teacher in public schools for eleven years and has taught choir, general music, composition, piano and guitar to students in grades 6-12. She earned her master’s degree in music education with an emphasis on pedagogy from the Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford. 

Additionally, Bennett is active in the Connecticut Music Educators Association, having served as editor of its news platform.

This year, Taylor will be the first Albert Einstein Fellow hosted by the Library, as part of the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship program administered by the Department of Energy. 

“The fellowship will empower me and other K-12 teachers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics to serve in the national education arena,” said Taylor.

Taylor has been a teacher for fourteen years and has taught third grade and K-5 engineering.  She holds a doctorate of education in educational technology from Boise State University.

Also, Taylor has developed school programs to provide additional STEM opportunities for students and is experienced with 3D printing, robotics and computer programming.

To be considered for the teacher-in-residence position, candidates must submit an application with a current resume, project plan, letters of recommendation and a letter from a school or district authorizing official approving the personnel agreement. For more information, visit loc.gov/teachers.

For more information about the Albert Einstein Distinguished Fellowship, visit science.energy.gov/wdts/einstein. 

The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States – and extensive materials from around the world – both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov, access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.