About Me
I am a secondary science teacher in a small town in rural Nebraska. [Our district, preschool through 12th grade, is all in one building.] I was, when I first started, the only science teacher in my district for 7-12th grade. This was a daily struggle, not only because of the range of classes I had to prepare, but also because I'm relatively new to the profession, with a certification in math and physics (the life sciences, or 'squishy' sciences as I call them, are sometimes the hardest because I have to study them as I teach them).
Education is my second career; my first was mechanical engineering. I find that my engineering experience informs the way I teach, in that I want my students to be able to think, observe, and solve problems, rather than looking at science as "the history of science" - as if it's done already. I love that NGSS approaches science in this way, and I wish that I had had the opportunity to learn this way. However, I struggle to create content from this new angle because my teacher preparation program was more traditional in its approach. Since starting this website, I have grown as an educator and a person. I have joined the Nebraska Association of Teachers of Science, where I have served on their board as Secretary, President-Elect, and now Vice President. I am grateful everyday for this wonderful group of educators. They led me to my teacher tribe: my science book club friends (Bailey, Jodi, Abby, Polla, Kristen, Marie & Stacey). I highly encourage developing your tribe. We meet every month to talk about life, science, our classrooms, our practices, and occasionally a book :) These people have encouraged me to reach beyond my own classroom and share my practices with other teachers, through presentations at the local ESU, NATS, and NSTA levels. I could not do this job without them. I hope to use this website as an opportunity to collaborate with other science educators, as we all struggle together to provide our students with the best resources and education for an ever-changing world. Please feel free to contact me at [email protected] (or through the contact me form on the homepage). I would love to hear from other teachers and their approaches. |