Meet the 2024 Teacher Fellows

The Life Guard Teacher Fellowship Program supports the creation of classroom materials and teacher resources about the life, legacy, and leadership of George Washington.

There were two different fellowships in the summer of 2024. The first fellowship focused on the Founding of the U.S. Government, and the second fellowship focused on Enslavement atMount Vernon. Both fellowships used primary sources at Mount Vernon and successfully completed infographics and scaffolded activity sheets for students and teachers to utilize in the classroom.

Emily Finch

Emily Finch holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education: Social Studies with a Computer Literacy Add-on in 2019, and a Master of Education: Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Technology in 2023 - both from Louisiana State University in Shreveport, Louisiana. At the time of her Fellowship, Emily had completed her fifth year of teaching social studies to sixth and seventh graders at Youree Drive Middle AP Magnet in Caddo Parish, Louisiana. 

During her five years of teaching, Emily also enthusiastically served as a member of the Caddo Parish Social Studies Content Specialist Task Force, where she gained experience in professional development creation, guidebook creation, and content development. 

In 2023, LACUE recognized Emily as Louisiana Middle School State Teacher of the Year for her work integrating educational technology into the classrooms of Caddo Parish. She has also recently been contracted by the state of Louisiana as an Education Technology Teacher Leader Advisor.

Emily completed her fellowship in 2024, under the Founding of the U.S. Government Fellowship. Her project, created alongside Tamera Johnson, can be found here.

Tamera Johnson

Tamera Johnson is a dedicated elementary educator from Colorado Springs, CO, with 23 years of teaching experience. She has been a National Board Certified Teacher since 2005, specializing as a Middle Childhood Generalist. 

Tamera holds two master's degrees: one in Curriculum & Instruction: Literacy Studies, and another in Teaching. She was honored as the 2024 VFW History Teacher of the Year at the local and district levels, and was a district finalist for Employee of the Year in 2018. Tamera teaches fifth grade English Language Arts and Social Studies at a Title I school and is passionate about supporting military children, ensuring they receive a high-quality education.

Tamera completed her fellowship in 2024, under the Founding of the U.S. Government Fellowship. Her project, created alongside Emily Finch, can be found here.

Andrea Thompson

Andrea Thompson teaches speech and debate, US government, and concurrent enrollment English at Sky View High School in northern Utah. During college, she received the U.S. Department of State’s Critical Language Scholarship and earned a BA in History and a BA in Political Science with a Minor in Chinese at Utah State University. She also earned a Master of Letters with distinction in The Book: History and Techniques of Analysis from the University of St Andrews in Scotland.

Andrea is a district leader in the National Speech and Debate Association, recently earning the 1^st Diamond coaching award. Her AP US Government “We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution” teams have won national awards on four different occasions.

Andrea completed her fellowship in 2024, under the Lives Bound Together: Enslavement at Mount Vernon Fellowship. Her project, created alongside Kristin Pankey, can be found here.

Kristin Pankey

Kristin Pankey is an elementary teacher in Arkansas where she has the privilege of teaching multilingual learners from all over the world. She earned a B.S.E. from John Brown University and an M.E.d. from the University of Arkansas. She is passionate about the integration of content, fostering curiosity, and working toward more equitable and inclusive spaces for all students. 

When she's not teaching, Kristin enjoys hiking, traveling, and reading. She has previous experience collaborating with museum educators and is humbled by the opportunity to contribute to Summer 2024's Lives Bound Together Fellowship.

Kristin completed her fellowship in 2024, under the Lives Bound Together: Enslavement at Mount Vernon Fellowship. Her project, created alongside Andrea Thompson, can be found here.