Blog

Every day is Earth day

Teacher Ambassador Kerrie Snavely

“My dad said I was born to teach,” says Kerrie Snavely.

She uses those instinctive skills to teach 10-12th grade traditional biology and supported biology and freshwater biology at Conestoga Valley Senior High School in Pennsylvania. Since 2015, she has been instrumental in developing Concord Consortium’s popular Model My Watershed program, which her students use to explore biotic and abiotic factors within their local watershed. “Students can actually see how their everyday life affects the watershed,” she explains.

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Inspiring students on their paths

Teacher Ambassador Rebecca Brewer

It’s not every day that a 9th grade student becomes enamored with pond scum. “The first time I saw a sample of pond water under a microscope,” says Rebecca Brewer, “I was hooked.” Until that time, she had never considered the microscopic world, but once she saw the “alien-like” critters swimming in that sample, she wanted to learn more. “That eventually transcended into wanting to share that thrill of discovery with others.”

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Kindergarten students learn about the states of matter

Teacher Ambassador Cassandra Muse

When Cassandra Muse was young, she struggled in school, but in fifth grade an inspiring teacher helped turn that around. “Mrs. Jutras was different than any teacher,” she recalls fondly. “She went out of her way to get to know her students on a personal basis, while creating positive relationships with each one. She spent her prep time building their self esteem in their academic abilities, and always found an engaging way to teach all types of learners.”

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From engineer to teacher

Teacher Ambassador Ken Hawthorn

Ken Hawthorn started his career as a prototyping engineer working with early stage companies to develop proof-of-concept technologies: localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) in biotech to long-range electric motorcycles. After volunteering in an afterschool program to help academically and socially at-risk students, he discovered that engineering has a lot in common with teaching.

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Looking beyond paper and pencil

Teacher Ambassador Stephanie Harmon

“I love the look of amazement and confidence when someone makes connections and understands what is happening,” says Stephanie Harmon, who’s beginning her 24th year in a high school classroom. She was named Kentucky Science Teacher Association’s Outstanding High School Science Teacher in 2014, and currently teaches physics and advanced physical science and Earth science at Rockcastle County High School in Mount Vernon, and introductory astronomy at Eastern Kentucky University.

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Never a dull day

Teacher Ambassador Tara Eppinger

Tara Eppinger is excited by the ways technology and online resources can change the way students learn and help them become better thinkers. She teaches high school biology and chemistry at Durham Academy in North Carolina. “Being able to watch biological or chemical processes occur—versus seeing static images in a textbook,” she says, “allows for a much richer and connected understanding of concepts,” she explains.

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Three-dimensional learning in the chemistry classroom

Teacher Ambassador Michael Lim

Michael Lim loves literature that’s inspiring. “What better way to enjoy meaningful texts than to teach them?” he thought. So he earned his college degree in English education. However, when he graduated there were no jobs available. Thankfully, he also had a “few years of pre-med classes,” so he put them to good use and became a long-term substitute chemistry teacher. Michael went on to pass the chemistry certification exam, and has been teaching 10th, 11th, and 12th grade chemistry for twelve years.

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