Laura Cummings wins Henry Ford Teacher Innovator Award grand prize
Posted: September 15, 2022
Sunset Beach Elementary teacher Laura Cummings spent five days this summer learning about some of the most innovative inventions in our country’s history.
The science and math teacher was one of nine national grand-prize winners of The Henry Ford’s Innovation Nation Teacher Innovator Awards. She received an all-expenses paid trip to The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan, home to 26 million historic artifacts and innovations that have defined and changed the United States. Her trip to Michigan was dubbed an “Innovation Immersion Experience.”
Grand-prize winners were chosen based on their work in the classroom exemplifying the habits of an innovator by inspiring students to challenge the rules, take risks, be collaborative and empathetic, and to learn the value of staying curious and learning from failure.
“To be recognized as a teacher innovator among the vast group of educators in the United States was really special and validating,” Cummings said.
Applications for the 2023 Teacher Innovator Awards will open this winter. Click here for more information.
During the five-day immersive experience this past July, Cummings explored artifacts at The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation. Some of her favorite experiences were sitting in the 1955 Rosa Parks bus from Montgomery, Alabama; walking through the Dymaxion House from the 1920s; and seeing the Lincoln Chair from the Ford Theater in 1865.
She also visited Greenfield Village, an 80-acre park comprising historic districts from America’s past. Cummings enjoyed visiting the homes of the Wright brothers, experiencing a working farm from the 1880s, and driving around in and learning to operate a Model T.
“During our time at the museum, we were also tasked with sharing our thoughts and ideas to update the Liberty and Justice for All exhibit to include a wider range of diversity and emphasize some of the injustices that people have suffered and continue to face in the United States,” she added.
Part of her prize includes access to The Henry Ford’s inHub online curriculum resources. She plans on implementing the model i Learning Framework, which includes the specific actions and habits of innovators, with her students right away. She also received $1,500 in gift cards to use towards classroom supplies.
Cummings was compelled to apply for the Teacher Innovator Award after searching for professional development opportunities. A native of Michigan, she was familiar with the The Henry Ford Museum.
Of her immersive experience, Cummings said, “These are valuable lessons for us as we continue to strive to be innovators in the field of education, and these actions and habits are important for our students to know so their innovative mindsets can continue to develop as they are changing the world.”
Learn more about The Henry Ford’s Innovation Nation Teacher Innovator Awards here.
