The Met Professional Learning Community
Make The Met an extension of your classroom!
Excited to learn from innovative educators and thinkers about social justice and arts education? Interested in improving your ability to teach with works of art to advance your students' critical thinking skills? Looking to build community with other New York City teachers?
If you are an active New York City teacher working in a Title I, District 75, or transfer public school, you can apply to join The Met Professional Learning Community (MetPLC). Each year, we select an exemplary cohort of teachers to participate in this immersive, socially engaged learning experience. Together, MetPLC participants will transform their teaching practice using works of art as the catalyst for deeper student engagement. We welcome teachers from all K-12 grade levels and disciplines.
In The MetPLC, you will…
- Lead one class of students in explorations of The Met’s galleries three to four times during the school year.
- Collaborate with Met educators to teach with works of art and implement project-based learning in your classroom.
- Participate in a Summer Institute, Coaching and Reflection sessions, and other professional development workshops throughout the school year.
- Write and workshop museum-based lesson plans that engage students in topics that affect their lives. Lessons may be published on The Met’s website.
In The MetPLC, you gain…
- An honorarium of $1,750 (upon completion of the program) and a year-long Museum membership.
- Support with booking and facilitating three to four self-guided visits to The Met and up to four previsit sessions with a Met educator in your classroom.
- Skills for teaching with works of art and objects from around the world.
- Resources for your school, including busing, art materials, chaperone reimbursement, and special access to events.
- Inspiration, mentorship, and support to address the challenges of teaching in a high-need school.
Application Information
Applications are not open at this time. Please check back soon and reach out to metplc@metmuseum.org with any questions.
Hear from alumni of the program:
“I really think that the museum visits and previsits have played a role in my students learning to get along better, behave respectfully toward one another, listen to the ideas their classmates, and express their own ideas more confidently. I see them taking ownership of their observations and interpretations. They apply previous knowledge in interpreting the artworks and are making connections with the artworks and the community.” —Member of the 2022–23 cohort
“At the beginning of this program, our students needed me to lead the discussions but by the third tour they were initiating deep discussions and responding to each other with little prompting…Our students became confident and comfortable at The Met: as we were leaving our last tour they begged me to stay and we talked about getting jobs at The Met when they grow up.” —Member of the 2022–23 cohort
“The personal and professional go hand in hand with this program. I felt cared for and inspired during every session and was able to bring a renewed sense of joy and passion to my students. I was inspired not only by the speakers, artworks, Met contract educators, and Met staff, but by my colleagues in the program as well. I feel like I now have a new group of positive and likeminded teacher friends that I hope to stay in touch with long after the completion of this program.” —Member of the 2024–25 cohort
“I have grown so much as an educator through this program. I’ve learned to center much of my work around question protocols and prompts. I’ve learned to linger on topics more, allowing students to process, build on each other’s ideas and allow for connections. I’ve learned to allow for interpretations and to ask kids to give evidence about their thinking using works of art. I never imagined I’d be able to lead tours, now going on my 3rd, I am in shock of how easy and exciting it is.” —Member of the 2024–25 cohort