Turned down two years in a row, Janet Dickens didn't give up on getting a National Education Association (NEA) Foundation grant for her kindergarten class at Fairlane Elementary in Lafayette. For a third year, Dickens rewrote her grant proposal - an opportunity that's open to every teacher in the U.S. - to procure funds for her students.

Three's a charm, and this is the year that Dickens heard she had won the grant. On September 15, Dickens found out that she would have $5,000 to spend on behalf of her... Kindergarten class.

The first NEA grant ever awarded to a Macon County teacher, Dickens' grant money will purchase a 78-inch Promethean Board for her class.

A Promethean Board, also called a whiteboard, is a cross between a computer monitor and an interactive blackboard. Students use it like a large computer just by touching the screen.

“The ideas for lessons with the Promethean Board are endless,” said Dickens.

The NEA provides grants to improve the academic achievement of students in public schools and public higher education institutions in any subject area.