[…]encouragement, and nurture. As many first-year teachers tend to do, I defaulted towards the “For” square. I desperately wanted students to like me and felt the best way to accomplish this was to act as more of a buddy. I had lax rules and control, treating students similar to colleagues. Unsurprisingly, this system had the opposite effect of what I intended. Students did not respect my authority and did not take what I deemed important seriously. These behaviors would cause me to overshoot in the SDW into the punitive square when I would send students into the hall. In reflecting on […]
[…]a bit in his stand-up routine where he talks about knowing your “what” versus knowing your “why” (Michael Jr., 2015). For me, the “what” has always been teaching, but the “why” has been harder to articulate. If you had asked me six years ago why I wanted to be a teacher, I would have said something about loving to work with kids; about how satisfying it is when a student finally “gets” a concept. For a long time, the why behind my desire to teach was self-motivated, rooted in the personal satisfaction I got from helping others. Now my why is […]
[…]come together? Many of the stories in this issue were written before the pandemic or before we knew how long we would be here. But the deeper meaning of the stories is still relevant to our current situation. Perhaps this unique historical moment can offer us an opportunity to take stock, reflect, and grow. There are so many stories people could tell about this moment. There have been new technologies and the fatigue that comes with them. There are different routines to follow and the new normal that guides our lives. Many of the stories in this issue were written […]
[…]described a scenario in which a number of herdsmen graze their cattle on a public pasture, or “commons.” The pasture, while limited, is plentiful enough to sustain a certain number of cattle indefinitely. However, a rational herdsman will realize that by adding an extra cow to his herd, he will gain all profit from the additional sale, while the harm caused by the additional cow’s grazing is shared equally among all the herdsmen. The herdsman sees an incentive to continue adding cattle to his herd; the other herdsmen reach the same conclusion. Quickly the cattle population increases beyond the capacity […]
[…]and creative. It was then that I fell in love with math and set out to do for others what he did for me.” Professional Experience Ciera taught informally for several years as an activities instructor and a day camp activity lead with the Chicago Parks District and the YMCA, respectively. During her graduate studies at the University of Michigan, she instructed an eighth-grade intensive summer session through Wolverine Pathways. As a math educator, she exposed students to the Algebra 1 concepts they would learn in high school. In addition to teaching, she helped to write the curriculum for the […]
[…]Teacher Education in 2010 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Larkin’s most recent book, “Teaching Science in Diverse Classrooms: Real Science for Real Students,” was published in Spring 2020. He is a section editor for the journal Science Education, and recently served as PI for the IMPREST Noyce Track 4 research grant which examined the retention of novice science teachers (co-PI Dr. Sandra Adams, Dept. of Biology), and PI on a Noyce Track 1 undergraduate scholarship grant (co-PI Dr. Mika Munakata, Dept. of Mathematics) at Montclair State University with funding from the National Science […]
[…]where you can learn from and share ideas with other like-minded educators.” Lidia’s Story For more than 20 years, Lidia Ortiz has taught science at Chicago’s Northside College Preparatory High School, where she has chaired the science department since 2009. She teaches advanced courses in biology and chemistry, including interdisciplinary experiential learning courses that she has created and implemented. She achieved National Board Certification in 2007 and was recertified in 2016. In 2022, she was awarded the Distinguished Secondary School Teacher Award by Northwestern University. She is the recipient of two student-nominated Outstanding Teacher Awards from the University of Chicago […]
[…]at Troy High School. “I had two wonderful teachers who really made the subject come alive.” While completing undergraduate work at Oakland University in Rochester, Mich., she spent time in the lab studying the electronic transfer rate in DNA. She also took a semester sabbatical to participate in research at Mote Marine Laboratories in Sarasota, Fla. While at Oakland, Kristen also worked as a tutor, lab report grader and teacher’s assistant. “These were the jobs I looked forward to doing. It was fun and rewarding to work with the students.” After graduating with a BS in chemistry and a BA […]
[…]seniors. Two other teachers propose literacy strategies for increasing student comprehension and making thinking visible. It makes so much sense that I gather up all the resources they’ve brought to share. In every presentation, I jot down notes and leave with scrawls of ideas, unsure of how I will implement them all on Monday morning. Similar to many of the teachers attending the conference, I approach my practice of teaching with a growth mindset, recognizing that there are always ways to improve my pedagogy, classroom culture, my relationships with kids, behavior management, my use of scientific practices, assessments, scaffolding—the list […]
[…]Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. She has coached Girls on the Run, a program for preteen girls that promotes healthy self-esteem while training for a 5K […]
