That’s why we call it a scientific ‘community’ — so in the classroom I make a point to acknowledge, encourage and value students’ discoveries, and also share my own!
As a k-3 science teacher, What do you most enjoy about your job?
The opportunities to learn from and with my students. Knowledge is a social good that (I believe) should be co-constructed and shared. In science, a discovery or invention doesn’t happen in a vacuum, it takes collaboration and builds on the work of others. That’s why we call it a scientific “community” — so in the classroom I make a point to acknowledge, encourage and value students’ discoveries, and also share my own!
What is the best advice you have ever received from one of your CDS students?
At the end of a project, I try to make time for students to reflect on their work. I ask about their successes, their failures, what they would do differently next time, and what suggestions they have to make the project better overall. I’ve received so many great ideas this way, that it is hard to pick out just one!
What are your favorite remote learning lessons?
My favorite remote learning lessons were also probably the simplest ones – just asking students to go out in the world and make observations. That’s something universal that anyone can do, and you gain so much simply by slowing down and looking closely. Then when we come back to share as a class, that’s when the real magic happens, because students start validating each other’s observations, making connections and seeing patterns. Teamwork!
What is your favorite spot on campus and why?
Although I adore the science lab immensely, I also really love the garden. It’s kind of my long-term pet project, and I’m thinking up all kinds of ways to utilize that space for learning. Nature makes everything better, especially education! I like to poke around the beds and shed and see what critters are living there!