Eye For Science

I have taught for 15 years in a diverse amount of setting. I have worked in private, public, and charter schools. Each giving me a different experience than I have used to enhance the education of my students. I have also taught internationally at an American International School. The school was so diverse that at times I did not have an American student in my class. It really impacted my teaching methods and made me a better teacher.

I think that the teaching style is constantly changing based on the situation. When I taught AP Chemistry I was really teaching so students can do well on the final examination. When I was an adolescent Montessori teacher I taught my content area, but the real focus was on helping the students determine how they best learned, how they worked with others, and ultimately what type of an adult they want to be. Finally, I have been teaching Project Based Learning for the last five years. I have focused on making real-world connections between science, other subjects, and the community I live in to give a purpose to what we are learning in class.

During college, I was awarded the Franklin J. Hyde Scholarship from Dow Chemical for Chemistry Education. I also received an internship at Dow in the New Ventures department. After college I participated in the Reach program at Hope College, conducting research with high school, undergrad, and graduate students. I also participated in the Future Prep'd PBL program, which is an intensive program in which I facilitated students solving problems of the local businesses.

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I feel that schools are key to how our communities function. I take great pride in what I do every day and constantly strive to do my best.