Summer Residency with NYPL's Center for Educators & Schools

Language is at the heart of how we connect, create, and understand the world around us. In an increasingly multilingual and digital society, the ways we use, teach, and preserve language have profound implications on our understanding of personhood.

At our annual summer residency, NYPL’s Center for Educators and Schools will be inviting educators to reimagine what language mastery means and humanize their pedagogical approaches. This residency will examine the powerful intersections between language and culture, memory, and belonging to explore how linguistic practices shape and are shaped by personal and collective histories.

Over the course of a week, participants will delve into critical and creative perspectives on multilingualism and language through access to NYPL’s world-class collections. Through a series of discussions, workshops, and collaborative activities, educators will reflect on language as a living, evolving force that challenges conventions and drives connection between us.

Program Topics

Discover a sneak preview of the themes explored during residency below!

Language, Identity & Culture: Explore connections between language, personal identity, and cultural heritage through discussions on the symbiotic relationship between linguistic practices and history, memory, and belonging. This session will particularly focus on how language ideologies shape language learning.

African American Language: Examine the rich history, cultural significance, and complex structures of African American Language (AAL). Presentations will dispel myths and assumptions about AAL, shed light on new ways to understand linguistic diversity, and highlight pedagogical possibilities.

Critical Storytelling & Counternarratives: Learn how individuals and communities use storytelling to challenge dominant narratives, resist oppression, and affirm their cultural and linguistic identities. This session will feature case studies of storytelling in film, theater, and music from underrepresented points of view. 

The Written Word: Discover how language shapes how we think and connect, both privately and publicly, by examining the internet’s role in transforming language. The day will culminate in a writing masterclass led by a practicing author.

Movements in Language Education: Explore the historical and contemporary movements in language education, including the evolution of bilingual education and the intersections of disability, language, and school-parent partnerships.

Read about 2024 Resident Maria Elena Martinez’s experience and takeaways from the program!

Program Values & Beliefs

This residency program connects teachers with key Library resources to strengthen and support more creative, engaging, and intellectually curious classrooms. Our program might be the right fit if the following traits apply to you!

• You teach creatively. Whether through project-based learning, interdisciplinary approaches, or hands-on activities, you believe that engagement and curiosity fuel deep learning.
• You enjoy collaborating with fellow educators. You thrive in discussions, value new perspectives, and see professional growth as a collective endeavor.
• You’re open to new ideas. You embrace opportunities to learn, experiment, and refine your teaching practice from experts in the field and peer educators.
• You’re passionate about this year’s theme. You recognize language as a dynamic force shaping identity, culture, and connection, and you want to bring that understanding into your classroom.
• You’re excited to incorporate items from the Library’s collections into your teaching. You’re eager to explore primary sources, archival materials, and literary works that can deepen students’ learning experiences.

Selection Criteria

We are looking for educators with a demonstrated commitment to the humanities, creative learning, and teaching with primary sources. We aim to select a group that reflects diverse perspectives in its many forms: professional and life experiences, affiliated schools, geographical residences, and more. Applications will be reviewed by a panel of educators and librarians at NYPL.

Eligibility

CES welcomes applications from a national audience of full- or part-time educators who teach in public, charter, independent, and religiously affiliated schools, as well as homeschooling educators. This year’s residency program will be exclusively open to high school humanities educators.

Participants must be U.S. citizens, residents of U.S. jurisdictions, or foreign nationals who have been residing in the U.S. or its territories for at least three years immediately preceding the application deadline. U.S. citizens teaching abroad at U.S. chartered institutions are also eligible to apply. Foreign nationals teaching abroad are not eligible to participate.

Per the Department of Homeland Security as of May 7, 2025, U.S. travelers must be REAL ID compliant to board domestic flights and access certain federal facilities. Summer Residency applicants must have a valid passport or REAL ID to apply.

Application Components

To be considered for selection, you must submit a complete application form, which includes the following components:

1. Personal statement
2. Resume or curriculum vitae
3. Teaching artifact

The application form will be made available on this page on March 10, 2025.

Notification Procedure 

All applicants will receive an email on May 16, 2025, with information about their application status. Selected applicants must confirm their participation no later than May 30, 2025, or their spot in the program will be forfeited.

This work is part of the Library’s overall commitment to our branch patrons and education programs, led by the Merryl H. and James S. Tisch Director of The New York Public Library. Major support for educational programming is provided by Merryl H. and James S. Tisch.