Peggy Boynton will study in Austria. (CONTRIBUTED)

MADISON – This summer, Peggy Boynton will be studying a long way from home.

Fund for Teachers awarded a $4,800 grant for Boynton to study in Austria. The organization’s grants allow American teachers in grades K-12 to pursue professional development around the world that will best influence their students.

She teaches German and Latin at James Clemens High School.

Encouraged by her friend Madelene Loftin, Boynton submitted the required project proposal. “As a world language teacher, I’m always looking to engage myself with the languages and cultures that I teach. I must constantly be a learner so that I can become a stronger teacher,” Boynton said.

Traveling between Vienna, Graz, Salzburg and Innsbruck, Boynton will attend the two-week seminar, “A Profile of Austria: From East to West,” organized by the Austrian Government Ministry for Education, Art and Culture. “The setup of the seminar is a mix of formats — large presentation and discussion, small-group projects and dialogue with Austrian citizens themselves about current issues and everyday life,” Boynton said.

The seminar will discuss cultural diversity, Austrian dialect of German and other indigenous languages, literature, music, cuisine, celebrations, innovative teaching strategies and Austrian regions. “The intent is to explore Austria firsthand so we can better lead our students as they learn about Austria,” Boynton said.

In her grant proposal, she developed a unit for her German students titled “No Kangaroos in Austria” that mirrors experiences she will have as a seminar participant.” She will share experiences from each Austrian city, along with “cultural products with which they can interact,” Boynton said.

Then, Boynton plans to create a lesson about Austrian culture that her students will teach to younger children at a Madison feeder school.

Familiar with western Europe, Boynton interned at a Department of Defense Dependents school in Baumholder, Germany for teacher certification with Ball State University. “It was an amazing experience and honor to work with the children of our military,” she said.

For more information, visit fundforteachers.org.