Life is Ever Changing

Who would have known at the beginning of the 2009-2010 school year that my life was about to change tremendously. I started last school year with my son getting married on a Saturday, and then started full time with students the following Monday at a new school teaching a new grade level. I had previously taught every grade kindergarten through sixth grade. Teaching 8th grade science made me realize even more how important it is to get STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) into classrooms.

When I was offered an Einstein fellowship with NSF’s Research on Gender in Science and Engineering (GSE), I felt that it was truly my match because I was one of those students that never saw a connection to science or why it was important to my life. It wasn’t until I was an adult, actually a teacher, that I realized the importance of integrating learning by “doing”. When I started working with scientists and going into the field to work on their research, I saw STEM firsthand. This led me toward implementing this type of approach into my classroom and to apply for a fellowship.

When school ended on May 29^th, my husband and I headed west on June 2^nd to help with our oldest son’s geology field research project in Utah (photo: San Rafael Swell). We also helped scientists with two teacher workshops in the Big Horn Mountains in Wyoming.

I was so fortunate to be able to spend four days attending sessions at the Joint Annual Meeting (JAM) in Washington D.C. in early June. I appreciate Jolene Jesse, the Program Director of GSE, for inviting me to this conference. It gave me the opportunity to learn more about Gender Research, as well as the chance to meet with GSE extension grantees to see how they successfully implemented research into action. It gave me a greater appreciation of the importance for utilizing research on gender equity during the planning, implementation, and evaluation stage of each project or program, as well as a better understanding of why there are so few, especially women, going into science and engineering. This summer, I found myself talking to teachers, scientists, and parents with children that I just met on the street about the little things that need to be done to make big changes in a student’s learning and career choices.

We came home for a couple of days to wash clothes and repack before heading to work at the National Marine Education Association Conference in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Before arriving home on August 6^th, my husband and I used free flight credit to fly to Alaska to visit our youngest son who works as a bear technician at Denali National Park. While in Fairbanks, I reconnected with educators and scientists that I respect so much for their dedication to science education, and the impact that they’ve made on teachers and students. I met with a teacher that flies into remote villages in the bush to work with teachers and students, a professor/scientist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and the IARC education outreach director (International Arctic Research Center and Center for Global Climate Change & Arctic System Research), and the education director at ARCUS (Arctic Research Consortium for the United States).

My husband, Bob, also my partner-in-learning, will be joining me in Washington, D.C. We are excited about this next venture in life. I’m looking forward to my fellowship to continue networking and integrating what is needed to broaden and increase participation to a wider range of communities of K-12 practitioners by working to diffuse research and innovative learning to address gender-based differences and career choices in STEM education. D.C---Here we come!