October 3, 2022 • 24 mins
In this episode, Eric Cross sits down with Sharita Ware, Indiana State Teacher of the Year to talk about how to build meaningful student connections. Sharita shares her journey from a corporate career to becoming Indiana's 2022 Teacher of the Year, and her passion for creating project-based lessons for her students. Together, Eric and Sharita discuss how educators can teach students to love science content by building strong relationships, how to add in other content areas and ways to support students' imagination.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I try to create that equal playing field where
there's nobody's voice, that'smore important than anyone
else's and try to make them allfeel that what they have to say
is important.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Welcome to science connections.
I'm your host aro.
My guest today is Sheta whereSheta is the 2022 Indiana state
teacher of the year.
And in her 10 year career, as anengineering and technology
teacher, she has dedicatedherself to helping students
build knowledge and skills forhigh school and life.
Beyond.
In this episode, we discuss howshe inspires her seventh and
(00:37):
eighth grade students to buildproblem solving and critical
thinking skills through hands onreal world and collaborative
projects.
She is as humble as she isknowledgeable and through our
conversation, it was easy for meto see why her students feel
successful under her guidance.
And now please enjoy myconversation with sh aware, Can
(00:59):
I start off by sayingcongratulations on teacher of
the year.
Thank you for the state ofIndiana.
Um, that's amazing.
So I, I, I did watch, uh, yourvideos, uh, short interviews,
and then you spoke, was itPurdue?
Yes.
You were there.
And so, uh, to see if fellowseventh grade, eighth grade
science teacher out there beingcelebrated, like I was so
(01:20):
excited, so yeah, I wanted tocongratulate you on that and,
and just kind of talk to youabout like your teaching journey
and ask you, uh, maybe just kindof start off with your story
about what brought you into,into the classroom, especially
the middle school
Speaker 1 (01:29):
Classroom.
So what happened is when I wasworking in industry as an
engineer and when my husband andI got married, we decided that I
was gonna, um, stay home withthe kids because, you know, we
wanted, um, our influence to begreater on our kids than, you
know, the people that would bewatching them, you know, because
they would ultimately spend moretime with them than they would
(01:52):
with us.
And, and so, um, I stayed homeand when my youngest was going
to be going to kindergarten thenext year, I was like, okay,
what am I going to do?
Cuz I really don't necessarilyfeel like I need to stay at
home.
Mm-hmm but um, Iknew going back to industry
would be a challenge justbecause in my field, I, I was
traveling a lot before I gotmarried and had kids.
(02:14):
And so I knew that that wouldn'treally be conducive to again,
raising children.
So I, I get this email, my inboxfor Woodrow Wilson, teaching
fellowship at Purdue.
And they were just looking forpeople in stem fields to go into
teaching.
And I was like, okay.
And it was a national search,you know, I filled out the
application, we had to go in anddo some sample teaching mm-hmm
(02:37):
.
And I was picked as, as one ofthe, the teachers to go through
the program.
And I started off thinking Iwanted high school.
And the really cool thing aboutthis, uh, program is that we had
long observation periods at highschool and at middle schools.
And so we would go to a schooland we'd stay there two or three
(02:59):
weeks.
And so it, it kind of gave youright.
A little bit more insight towhat happened on a daily basis.
And after those observations, Iwas like, I like middle school
better than I, uh, like highschool.
And so I just kind of went thatdirection and you know, the rest
is history.
So
Speaker 2 (03:19):
I feel like our stories are similar because I
went into teaching thinking Iwanted to do high school because
I like the maturity and you alittle bit more sophistication,
advanced things, but yes, middleschool, I felt like I can, I
could get them more upstreambefore and kind of help shape
mm-hmm thatexperience for them?
Because I feel like at middleschool is really where they kind
of decide like what they can dobased on their experiences.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
I found in the middle school that the kids, I mean,
they just, they clamor aroundyou and they're like, what are
we doing today?
You know?
And they get so excited and, um,they're, they're just, I don't
know, I guess in some ways, justmore hungry in the sense of like
they're willingness to, um, nowsometimes they're a little
reluctant, but you know, theirwillingness just to try new
(04:02):
things.
And I think, um, my studentsreally what I have found over
the years that they have found asafe space and I hear the kids,
you know, say to me so manytimes that, you know, it it's
safe.
I feel, I feel safe in here.
And, and it's not something thatin my mind I'm thinking about,
(04:23):
oh, I need to make this a safeplace.
It's just, I guess part of justwho I am as a person has created
this environment of, of safetyand, and the kids recognize
that, you know, I don't playfavorites.
You know, everybody starts outmm-hmm, on equal
footing.
I, I don't care what yourbackstory is.
I don't care how many times Isee you in the hallway when I'm
(04:45):
walking during my prep.
You know, when you hit my room,I'm, I'm gonna treat you the
same way on day one, that Itreat everybody else.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
You really understand how to build culture with, in,
with your classroom, with yourstudents.
And, and you said they feelsafe, but is there anything that
you do that someone could likeapply?
And like you found that you'vegotten a lot of just relational
capital through doing thesethings, or is it just your
personality?
Like how, how do you build thoseconnections?
Speaker 1 (05:12):
You know, growing up being a, a very quiet person.
I, I think a lot of times myvoice was ignored because I was
the quiet kid in the back of theroom.
And oftentimes I became seen orheard because of my work, you
know, in the beginning it waskind of like, oh, she's just
this quiet girl in the back ofthe room.
And then, you know, the firstessay was due or the first
(05:34):
project was due.
And then it was like, oh, youknow, then you're the person to
be on, you know, people's teams.
And, and that, I don't know,that always kind of bothered me
because, you know, I'm thinkingjust because you're not the
loudest person in the roomdoesn't mean that you don't have
something to say, mm-hmm, you just might
not be talking all the time.
You know?
(05:55):
And, and so for my students, Ijust, I try to create that equal
playing field where there's,nobody's voice, that's more
important than anyone else's andtry to make them all feel like
that what they have to say, orwhat they have to contribute is,
is enough, is good.
Enough is important as
Speaker 2 (06:16):
It is, as it is.
And there's probably a lot ofthings that you do.
But in addition to buildingthese relationships, what do you
do?
Like how do you make yourlearning fun for students?
Speaker 1 (06:25):
I think, um, I'm also a little bit on the silly side.
Um, we do a, a Barbie prostheticleg project, and this was after
trial and error of having thekids make full size prosthetic
legs.
And I try to make it as realworld as possible, but with none
of the children being amputee or, you know, having access to
(06:46):
someone, it was really hard forthem to really visualize what
needed to happen.
Mm-hmm.
And so, um, I found this Barbiethat had a prosthetic leg and I
was like, well, LA, so I juststarted collecting Barbies and
chopping their legs off.
And so I have this jar of Barbielegs.
(07:09):
And so, and I said, you're gonnamake prosthetic legs.
And I lay this jar of legs onthe counter and the kids are
like, like they gasp and thenthey crack up and then they're
like, okay, this lady's crazy.
So
Speaker 2 (07:22):
That's when you take off your scarf and there's this
necklace of just Barbie legsthat are just around and you're
like, I'm a middle schoolteacher and they go, oh, okay.
I understand.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's totally fine.
Is this a lesson that someonethat you made up or is it
something that you've reremixed?
Is it something that someonecould do if they looked it up
anywhere?
Speaker 1 (07:38):
Um, so I think teach engineering has the, the full
size leg that the kids make.
And that's where I initially gotit from.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Is that the website teach engineering?
Speaker 1 (07:49):
Yes.
And, um, I, in fact, I get lotsof ideals from there.
Um, and I, I always usuallytweak them, but it's, it's one
of those things that kind ofgets your brain going.
And so it was kind of a mixtureof, uh, project lead the way
gateway to technology and theteach engineering.
And I think the project lead theway had us making like braces,
(08:11):
uh, for, um, kids with, um, likecerebral palsy or, or something
like that.
And the kids did okay with thatproject.
Uh, but I wanted to go just alittle bit, uh, deeper with it
because part of what I waswanting them to do is that
context and that connection,that human connection, because
for me, it's not just enough forthem to make a project.
(08:33):
Uh, before we start thisprosthetic leg, I read them a
story out of a Scholasticmagazine, and it's a, a teenage
girl that lost her leg in aboating accident.
And she was super active, um,playing sports and running.
And, and so I was, you know,trying to get the kids to, you
know, make that connection,someone close to their age.
(08:53):
Um, and then how it's not, it's,it's more than about her
physical healing.
It's also about her mentalhealing and how she had to, you
know, talk to herself to saythat she could, you know,
recover and, and come back fromthis and still go on to do all
of the things that she was doingbefore.
Um, and in some ways it's kindof cool because, um, you know,
(09:14):
she has a running prosthetic,she has a, a swimming
prosthetic, and she has herevery day with the pain and
toils prosthetic.
So just trying to, you know,help them to see that it's more
than just the, you know, thebiomedical mechanical
engineering aspect of theproject.
And so they have to design forcomfort.
They have to design for, um,swelling.
(09:35):
And then, um, they also can, ifthey, if they want to, they
don't have to, if they want to,they can create their own
backstory.
So when they get there, um, wehave a day where they are
introduced to their client, sothey get to meet their Barbie
and, and then they get to decideif they want a backstory and,
and then do their research basedoff of that.
(09:55):
So if it's someone that was arunner, then they can design a
prosthetic running blade.
So just, they have lots of, uh,flexibility,
Speaker 2 (10:04):
The, that aspect of adding the narrative.
It does so much for likelistening to it on the outside.
It one, it adds this humanityto, you know, what can sometimes
just feel like it may be cold,logical stem.
We're just, we're just doingthings.
We're fixing things.
We're, you know, we'rediscovering things, but really
the stem has value when we'reactually applying it to, to, to
(10:25):
serve humanity or our ecosystemor whatever it is.
There was a, a coding, uh, classI was doing with my students and
I showed them this app called bemy eyes.
And it's for people who arevisually impaired and it pairs
them with a volunteer.
And when they call, and there'sa whole huge pool of volunteers
and I'm one of them.
And when my, when it happens inclass, I answer and it uses the
(10:47):
FaceTime.
So the person who's visuallyimpaired is holding up their
phone and you see what they seeand you tell them and real time
what's happening.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
Oh, wow.
That's so cool.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
These are, these were the things I think for students
that the story, the, the humanpart of it, mm-hmm,
, it must bring in so many morestudents into engagement.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
Yeah.
I, I feel like it does becauseI, I think, um, and, you know,
along the journey, they kind oflose, um, they lose sight a
little bit because, you know,they get out in the lab and they
have access to all of thesedifferent materials.
And I think, you know, trulymaking it, you know, project
based for me is I try not tocontrol the materials too much.
(11:28):
Um, I try not to make it so widethat they just get lost, but I
try to throw a few curve ballsin there, you know, of, of
materials that really don't makesense to use, but they kind of
think they make sense to use.
Um, because the, the, the meatof it is that the prosthetic leg
(11:48):
is a similar size of theoriginal leg and that the, the
knee functions.
And so I don't limit, and Igrade them off of efficient use
of materials.
So, and that just throws themoff because I think, well, how
many Popsicle sticks can I use?
And I'm like, you can use asmany as you like, but remember,
(12:09):
this is a prosthetic leg that,um, your Barbie, which is one
six scale, um, is going to bewearing all day.
So you could think that aPopsicle stick, if you chose to
use a Popsicle stick is kind oflike dragging around a two by
four, you know?
So do, is that what you reallywant to use as your material?
(12:31):
And some of the kids reallythink about it and saying, okay,
I'm, I've got this aluminum rod,okay.
This is probably what I woulduse for my bone structure,
because it's lightweight, butyet it is supportive.
And then sometimes they come upwith their own ideas in terms of
materials, like one studentbrought in his, um, 3d doodle
pin mm-hmm and hemade joints and everything with
(12:54):
this pin.
And I'm, and I had delayedbuying one, cause I'm like, I,
how do you have control overthat thing?
Mm-hmm he broughtthat in and he did probably two
or three iterations of it and,and got it to work where even
the knee where it bit back 90degrees, but it stopped.
He made like, so that it didn'tbend forward.
(13:14):
It blows my mind.
I'm like so many UN unexpectedthings have, have happened just
from my, um, teaching style.
Now I did have, my first fewyears, I had a, a teaching coach
, um, come in and, um, I askedher to come into my room because
I just wanted to make surebecause I was not a traditional
teacher.
(13:35):
She said, this classroom isamazing.
And, and I think the one thingthat she helped me with was, was
purpose and consistency and thesense of making sure that with
the standards that all of thesecool things and ways of being,
um, that I was doing in myclassroom, that, that I kept it
(13:58):
purposeful and intentional.
So many times as educators, Iknow in having student teachers
again, ask yourself thequestion, what is the big
picture I want the kids to takeaway.
And once you ask that question,then everything that you have
them do will lead to that bigpicture.
(14:19):
Well, it should lead to that bigpicture.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
So it sounds like they're, you're starting with
this end goal in mind and thenkind of backwards planning to
get there.
Yeah.
Do you think you would've beenthe same type of teacher if you
would've gone straight fromcollege into the classroom?
No.
And if, if, no, as you'reshaking your head, what do you
think it is about?
Cause I've been asking myselfthese questions, like just over
the years, what is it aboutcoming from industry and going
into the classroom?
Do you feel like, is how hasthat impacted you in how you
(14:45):
teach?
Speaker 1 (14:45):
Well, I think it's twofold cuz I was older.
I already had three children.
I think the combination for me,I think is I was already a mom
and I had worked in industry.
So the behavior aspect of kidsand, and then having that real
world experience.
And I, I just feel like whetherit's in the classroom, um,
(15:08):
marriage, kids, to me, it's 90%relationship, you know, and the
rest will work itself out.
That's, that's just my, my takeon it.
But I, I feel like having kids,so some of the behavioral things
I kind of was aware of, youknow, and just learned many
(15:28):
times just not to react to someof the things that they did,
Speaker 2 (15:31):
Which is huge.
Right.
Especially in middle school iscontrolling your reactions.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
Yes.
Cuz that's what they want.
You know?
And, and I had this student lastyear as well.
She's brilliant.
And so if she cannot wrap hermind around the purpose of what
you're doing and, and you'repushing her to do something that
she doesn't think is necessary,mm-hmm, she kind of
has these meltdowns.
And, and so we just had this,you know, I don't know, we just
(15:58):
came to this understanding andit, and it works to control the
meltdowns.
I tried to make sure.
And, and I used her as a gaugebecause I knew she wasn't, she
wasn't getting upset because shedidn't understand.
She didn't understand the whymm-hmm.
And so I felt like if she gotthe why then so would everyone
(16:19):
else.
So when she, if she was okaywith it, then I was like, okay,
then I must have explained itwell enough.
And so in my mind that I reallyneed to make sure they
understand the, again, goingback to that purpose and
intention, making sure that thatis clear.
And then I think that's whatgets lost.
Sometimes mm-hmm uh, with us as teachers, we, we
(16:41):
know where we want the kids togo and we want us to trust the
process, you know, just do itbecause I said so, but
sometimes, you know, empoweringyour children to under to
understand the why, because thatagain is what allows them to be
able to do bigger and greaterthings on their own.
(17:02):
So on that next project comesalong.
They're starting to tell you,well, first we need to make sure
we understand what, um, we'rebeing asked to do to do.
So we have to define thequestion.
We have to make our drivingquestion that will help us stay
focused.
And, and you're just standing upthere going, okay, now you don't
(17:23):
need me.
I'll go here and sit down.
so it's, uh, it isreally cool.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
Now I'm thinking about my own kids.
Like, do my students know thewhy behind the lesson we did
today?
It's one area of growth that Iwanna make sure I do this year
with my students.
And so I really appreciate that.
So the, and you just hit onsomething that is, has been in
the forefront of my mind latelyand math and English as you
know, tend to be prioritized inschools everywhere because it's
what state tested.
And it's what, you know, this isa whole other conversation, but
(17:52):
I've been talking to mathteachers frequently about one of
the challenges that theyexperience or they've been
telling me is that math is kindof taught.
Like it's just computational,you're solving these problems,
but it's really separated fromany real life application.
A lot of times, you know, it'spizza or gumballs or, or just
fictional scenarios and studentsdon't perform well many times.
(18:15):
And some of the reasons why iscuz just no connection.
I don't want to solve puzzles.
Like it's not my jam.
Do you have any just inside or,or perspective on how math is,
is taught in maybe a way thatyou think it would students
would benefit more?
Speaker 1 (18:32):
You know how kids learn in elementary school,
you've got this, the sameteacher teaching all of the
subjects.
And so wouldn't that be anawesome opportunity for you to
have like these, these projectswhere I feel like you could, a
class could legit work on thesame project for a whole entire
(18:56):
year.
And so couldn't the English bewriting your persuasive letter
to the mayor, asking him to dothis or do that.
And the process of doing thatthey're, they're, they're
writing with a purpose with atrue purpose.
Um, and then when they're doingmath, you know, they want, they
want a new neighborhood park.
(19:17):
So, you know, well how much isthis gonna cost?
Well, math, what size is itgonna be math?
Let's see what it looks like,art, you know, you just, you
have all of this things.
And then of course then science.
So if it's on a heel, how canwe, you know, deal with erosion?
And you know, you can just pullso many different things into
(19:41):
that.
And so not only are theylearning, but they're narrowed
in and focused on a project,they're, they're able to dive
deep into, you know, learningmore of learning, how to express
themselves and communicate withreal people.
So it's more of taking thesecompartmentalized learning that
we do in middle school and highschool.
(20:03):
Mm-hmm, whereyou're almost learning
apprenticeship style.
Mm-hmm, you know,you have these master educators
and it's not about them beingthe best at math or being the
best at this or that.
Cuz there's so many tools nowthat could help you through
that.
But you're, you're giving,you're teaching them so many
life skills and so many ways tothink and problem solve that,
(20:24):
that we're just that the kidsjust don't have.
Speaker 2 (20:27):
I think that that is amazing.
And I think that in thatsituation, what I'm hearing is
we're going deeper, not widerbecause there are a lot of
different concepts that kids areexpected to learn.
Or I should say there areseveral concepts that teachers
are expected to teach doesn'tnecessarily mean that our kids
are learning, but we're teachingthem.
And this way you're embedded itinto an authentic context.
(20:49):
Students are able to go throughthis cycle just like real life.
And then they're also able tobuild these kind of really
transdisciplinary skills.
Not only am I learning the math,the English, the the, but I'm
also learning the interpersonalskills of being able to sell
myself and present myself in away that's winsome.
And it's especially powerfulcoming from someone from
industry.
Last question, even justlistening to you, I know you,
(21:10):
you are this for a lot ofpeople, but I wanted to ask you
who inspires you?
Speaker 1 (21:14):
I think there have been lots of people over the
years.
Like I'm thinking of my shopteacher who has since, uh, the
last few years passed away.
Um, he was one of those people,I think similar personality to
me, super quiet person, but hewas always in the background on
my journey and his name was JoeMo and we called her Madam Carol
(21:39):
was my 10th grade English litteacher.
And she was the one that startedreading my work out in front of
the class.
And you know, and that just gaveme courage, not so much to be
seen.
Uh, but that the work I wasdoing was, was good.
And, and I think I needed thatkind of encouragement.
(22:02):
Lastly, my students inspire mebecause when I look at their
faces and see the excitement, Ithink of those students for the
first time and, and, and thinkabout this seventh and eighth
graders for the first timefeeling like they really have
something to say, they reallyhave something to contribute of
(22:24):
value.
And, and I do it for them.
You know, the reason why I amhere in this moment is because
of them.
Um, without them, you wouldn'tbe talking to me
Speaker 2 (22:37):
This is, this is true.
This is, this is true.
You would probably never saythis about yourself, but you
just exude a humility and aservice in how you talk about
your students and yourself.
And I just wanna thank you forusing your gifts, but I don't
wanna just call them giftsbecause it makes it sound like
you didn't earn'em and yourskills that you've earned and
worked very hard to acquire overthe years to go back into the
(22:59):
classroom and leave industry,cuz you, you could have gone
back to industry too, but youdecided not to.
And you could have worked in theindustry and your hours were a
little different pay is a littledifferent, but you came back to
serve the kids of Indiana andbecause of you and because of
that choice, those students havea brighter future and believe in
themselves and they're findingtheir voice.
And I want to thank you for thatand for representing all of us
stem teachers who are in middleschool and being that leader.
(23:21):
So thank you for that and thankyou for being on the podcast.
You're
Speaker 1 (23:24):
Welcome.
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (23:28):
Thank so much for listening.
Now we wanna hear more about youin the amazing work you're doing
for students.
Do you have any educators whoinspire you?
You can nominate them as afuture guest on science
connections by emailing stem,amplify.com.
That's SST E M amplify.com.
Make sure to click, subscribewherever you listen to podcasts
(23:51):
and join our Facebook groupscience connections, the
community until next time.
I try to create that equal playing field where
there's nobody's voice, that'smore important than anyone
else's and try to make them allfeel that what they have to say
is important.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Welcome to science connections.
I'm your host aro.
My guest today is Sheta whereSheta is the 2022 Indiana state
teacher of the year.
And in her 10 year career, as anengineering and technology
teacher, she has dedicatedherself to helping students
build knowledge and skills forhigh school and life.
Beyond.
In this episode, we discuss howshe inspires her seventh and
(00:37):
eighth grade students to buildproblem solving and critical
thinking skills through hands onreal world and collaborative
projects.
She is as humble as she isknowledgeable and through our
conversation, it was easy for meto see why her students feel
successful under her guidance.
And now please enjoy myconversation with sh aware, Can
(00:59):
I start off by sayingcongratulations on teacher of
the year.
Thank you for the state ofIndiana.
Um, that's amazing.
So I, I, I did watch, uh, yourvideos, uh, short interviews,
and then you spoke, was itPurdue?
Yes.
You were there.
And so, uh, to see if fellowseventh grade, eighth grade
science teacher out there beingcelebrated, like I was so
(01:20):
excited, so yeah, I wanted tocongratulate you on that and,
and just kind of talk to youabout like your teaching journey
and ask you, uh, maybe just kindof start off with your story
about what brought you into,into the classroom, especially
the middle school
Speaker 1 (01:29):
Classroom.
So what happened is when I wasworking in industry as an
engineer and when my husband andI got married, we decided that I
was gonna, um, stay home withthe kids because, you know, we
wanted, um, our influence to begreater on our kids than, you
know, the people that would bewatching them, you know, because
they would ultimately spend moretime with them than they would
(01:52):
with us.
And, and so, um, I stayed homeand when my youngest was going
to be going to kindergarten thenext year, I was like, okay,
what am I going to do?
Cuz I really don't necessarilyfeel like I need to stay at
home.
Mm-hmm
would be a challenge justbecause in my field, I, I was
traveling a lot before I gotmarried and had kids.
(02:14):
And so I knew that that wouldn'treally be conducive to again,
raising children.
So I, I get this email, my inboxfor Woodrow Wilson, teaching
fellowship at Purdue.
And they were just looking forpeople in stem fields to go into
teaching.
And I was like, okay.
And it was a national search,you know, I filled out the
application, we had to go in anddo some sample teaching mm-hmm
(02:37):
And I was picked as, as one ofthe, the teachers to go through
the program.
And I started off thinking Iwanted high school.
And the really cool thing aboutthis, uh, program is that we had
long observation periods at highschool and at middle schools.
And so we would go to a schooland we'd stay there two or three
(02:59):
weeks.
And so it, it kind of gave youright.
A little bit more insight towhat happened on a daily basis.
And after those observations, Iwas like, I like middle school
better than I, uh, like highschool.
And so I just kind of went thatdirection and you know, the rest
is history.
So
Speaker 2 (03:19):
I feel like our stories are similar because I
went into teaching thinking Iwanted to do high school because
I like the maturity and you alittle bit more sophistication,
advanced things, but yes, middleschool, I felt like I can, I
could get them more upstreambefore and kind of help shape
mm-hmm
Because I feel like at middleschool is really where they kind
of decide like what they can dobased on their experiences.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
I found in the middle school that the kids, I mean,
they just, they clamor aroundyou and they're like, what are
we doing today?
You know?
And they get so excited and, um,they're, they're just, I don't
know, I guess in some ways, justmore hungry in the sense of like
they're willingness to, um, nowsometimes they're a little
reluctant, but you know, theirwillingness just to try new
(04:02):
things.
And I think, um, my studentsreally what I have found over
the years that they have found asafe space and I hear the kids,
you know, say to me so manytimes that, you know, it it's
safe.
I feel, I feel safe in here.
And, and it's not something thatin my mind I'm thinking about,
(04:23):
oh, I need to make this a safeplace.
It's just, I guess part of justwho I am as a person has created
this environment of, of safetyand, and the kids recognize
that, you know, I don't playfavorites.
You know, everybody starts outmm-hmm,
footing.
I, I don't care what yourbackstory is.
I don't care how many times Isee you in the hallway when I'm
(04:45):
walking during my prep.
You know, when you hit my room,I'm, I'm gonna treat you the
same way on day one, that Itreat everybody else.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
You really understand how to build culture with, in,
with your classroom, with yourstudents.
And, and you said they feelsafe, but is there anything that
you do that someone could likeapply?
And like you found that you'vegotten a lot of just relational
capital through doing thesethings, or is it just your
personality?
Like how, how do you build thoseconnections?
Speaker 1 (05:12):
You know, growing up being a, a very quiet person.
I, I think a lot of times myvoice was ignored because I was
the quiet kid in the back of theroom.
And oftentimes I became seen orheard because of my work, you
know, in the beginning it waskind of like, oh, she's just
this quiet girl in the back ofthe room.
And then, you know, the firstessay was due or the first
(05:34):
project was due.
And then it was like, oh, youknow, then you're the person to
be on, you know, people's teams.
And, and that, I don't know,that always kind of bothered me
because, you know, I'm thinkingjust because you're not the
loudest person in the roomdoesn't mean that you don't have
something to say, mm-hmm
not be talking all the time.
You know?
(05:55):
And, and so for my students, Ijust, I try to create that equal
playing field where there's,nobody's voice, that's more
important than anyone else's andtry to make them all feel like
that what they have to say, orwhat they have to contribute is,
is enough, is good.
Enough is important as
Speaker 2 (06:16):
It is, as it is.
And there's probably a lot ofthings that you do.
But in addition to buildingthese relationships, what do you
do?
Like how do you make yourlearning fun for students?
Speaker 1 (06:25):
I think, um, I'm also a little bit on the silly side.
Um, we do a, a Barbie prostheticleg project, and this was after
trial and error of having thekids make full size prosthetic
legs.
And I try to make it as realworld as possible, but with none
of the children being amputee or, you know, having access to
(06:46):
someone, it was really hard forthem to really visualize what
needed to happen.
Mm-hmm
And so, um, I found this Barbiethat had a prosthetic leg and I
was like, well, LA, so I juststarted collecting Barbies and
chopping their legs off
And so I have this jar of Barbielegs.
(07:09):
And so, and I said, you're gonnamake prosthetic legs.
And I lay this jar of legs onthe counter and the kids are
like, like they gasp and thenthey crack up and then they're
like, okay, this lady's crazy.
So
Speaker 2 (07:22):
That's when you take off your scarf and there's this
necklace of just Barbie legsthat are just around and you're
like, I'm a middle schoolteacher and they go, oh, okay.
I understand.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's totally fine.
Is this a lesson that someonethat you made up or is it
something that you've reremixed?
Is it something that someonecould do if they looked it up
anywhere?
Speaker 1 (07:38):
Um, so I think teach engineering has the, the full
size leg that the kids make.
And that's where I initially gotit from.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Is that the website teach engineering?
Speaker 1 (07:49):
Yes.
And, um, I, in fact, I get lotsof ideals from there.
Um, and I, I always usuallytweak them, but it's, it's one
of those things that kind ofgets your brain going.
And so it was kind of a mixtureof, uh, project lead the way
gateway to technology and theteach engineering.
And I think the project lead theway had us making like braces,
(08:11):
uh, for, um, kids with, um, likecerebral palsy or, or something
like that.
And the kids did okay with thatproject.
Uh, but I wanted to go just alittle bit, uh, deeper with it
because part of what I waswanting them to do is that
context and that connection,that human connection, because
for me, it's not just enough forthem to make a project.
(08:33):
Uh, before we start thisprosthetic leg, I read them a
story out of a Scholasticmagazine, and it's a, a teenage
girl that lost her leg in aboating accident.
And she was super active, um,playing sports and running.
And, and so I was, you know,trying to get the kids to, you
know, make that connection,someone close to their age.
(08:53):
Um, and then how it's not, it's,it's more than about her
physical healing.
It's also about her mentalhealing and how she had to, you
know, talk to herself to saythat she could, you know,
recover and, and come back fromthis and still go on to do all
of the things that she was doingbefore.
Um, and in some ways it's kindof cool because, um, you know,
(09:14):
she has a running prosthetic,she has a, a swimming
prosthetic, and she has herevery day with the pain and
toils prosthetic.
So just trying to, you know,help them to see that it's more
than just the, you know, thebiomedical mechanical
engineering aspect of theproject.
And so they have to design forcomfort.
They have to design for, um,swelling.
(09:35):
And then, um, they also can, ifthey, if they want to, they
don't have to, if they want to,they can create their own
backstory.
So when they get there, um, wehave a day where they are
introduced to their client, sothey get to meet their Barbie
and, and then they get to decideif they want a backstory and,
and then do their research basedoff of that.
(09:55):
So if it's someone that was arunner, then they can design a
prosthetic running blade.
So just, they have lots of, uh,flexibility,
Speaker 2 (10:04):
The, that aspect of adding the narrative.
It does so much for likelistening to it on the outside.
It one, it adds this humanityto, you know, what can sometimes
just feel like it may be cold,logical stem.
We're just, we're just doingthings.
We're fixing things.
We're, you know, we'rediscovering things, but really
the stem has value when we'reactually applying it to, to, to
(10:25):
serve humanity or our ecosystemor whatever it is.
There was a, a coding, uh, classI was doing with my students and
I showed them this app called bemy eyes.
And it's for people who arevisually impaired and it pairs
them with a volunteer.
And when they call, and there'sa whole huge pool of volunteers
and I'm one of them.
And when my, when it happens inclass, I answer and it uses the
(10:47):
FaceTime.
So the person who's visuallyimpaired is holding up their
phone and you see what they seeand you tell them and real time
what's happening.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
Oh, wow.
That's so cool.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
These are, these were the things I think for students
that the story, the, the humanpart of it, mm-hmm,
, it must bring in so many morestudents into engagement.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
Yeah.
I, I feel like it does becauseI, I think, um, and, you know,
along the journey, they kind oflose, um, they lose sight a
little bit because, you know,they get out in the lab and they
have access to all of thesedifferent materials.
And I think, you know, trulymaking it, you know, project
based for me is I try not tocontrol the materials too much.
(11:28):
Um, I try not to make it so widethat they just get lost, but I
try to throw a few curve ballsin there, you know, of, of
materials that really don't makesense to use, but they kind of
think they make sense to use.
Um, because the, the, the meatof it is that the prosthetic leg
(11:48):
is a similar size of theoriginal leg and that the, the
knee functions.
And so I don't limit, and Igrade them off of efficient use
of materials.
So, and that just throws themoff because I think, well, how
many Popsicle sticks can I use?
And I'm like, you can use asmany as you like, but remember,
(12:09):
this is a prosthetic leg that,um, your Barbie, which is one
six scale, um, is going to bewearing all day.
So you could think that aPopsicle stick, if you chose to
use a Popsicle stick is kind oflike dragging around a two by
four
So do, is that what you reallywant to use as your material?
(12:31):
And some of the kids reallythink about it and saying, okay,
I'm, I've got this aluminum rod,okay.
This is probably what I woulduse for my bone structure,
because it's lightweight, butyet it is supportive.
And then sometimes they come upwith their own ideas in terms of
materials, like one studentbrought in his, um, 3d doodle
pin mm-hmm
(12:54):
this pin.
And I'm, and I had delayedbuying one, cause I'm like, I,
how do you have control overthat thing?
Mm-hmm
or three iterations of it and,and got it to work where even
the knee where it bit back 90degrees, but it stopped.
He made like, so that it didn'tbend forward.
(13:14):
It blows my mind.
I'm like so many UN unexpectedthings have, have happened just
from my, um, teaching style.
Now I did have, my first fewyears, I had a, a teaching coach
, um, come in and, um, I askedher to come into my room because
I just wanted to make surebecause I was not a traditional
teacher.
(13:35):
She said, this classroom isamazing.
And, and I think the one thingthat she helped me with was, was
purpose and consistency and thesense of making sure that with
the standards that all of thesecool things and ways of being,
um, that I was doing in myclassroom, that, that I kept it
(13:58):
purposeful and intentional.
So many times as educators, Iknow in having student teachers
again, ask yourself thequestion, what is the big
picture I want the kids to takeaway.
And once you ask that question,then everything that you have
them do will lead to that bigpicture.
(14:19):
Well, it should lead to that bigpicture.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
So it sounds like they're, you're starting with
this end goal in mind and thenkind of backwards planning to
get there.
Yeah.
Do you think you would've beenthe same type of teacher if you
would've gone straight fromcollege into the classroom?
No.
And if, if, no, as you'reshaking your head, what do you
think it is about?
Cause I've been asking myselfthese questions, like just over
the years, what is it aboutcoming from industry and going
into the classroom?
Do you feel like, is how hasthat impacted you in how you
(14:45):
teach?
Speaker 1 (14:45):
Well, I think it's twofold cuz I was older.
I already had three children.
I think the combination for me,I think is I was already a mom
and I had worked in industry.
So the behavior aspect of kidsand, and then having that real
world experience.
And I, I just feel like whetherit's in the classroom, um,
(15:08):
marriage, kids, to me, it's 90%relationship, you know, and the
rest will work itself out.
That's, that's just my, my takeon it.
But I, I feel like having kids,so some of the behavioral things
I kind of was aware of, youknow, and just learned many
(15:28):
times just not to react to someof the things that they did,
Speaker 2 (15:31):
Which is huge.
Right.
Especially in middle school iscontrolling your reactions.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
Yes.
Cuz that's what they want.
You know?
And, and I had this student lastyear as well.
She's brilliant.
And so if she cannot wrap hermind around the purpose of what
you're doing and, and you'repushing her to do something that
she doesn't think is necessary,mm-hmm
has these meltdowns.
And, and so we just had this,you know, I don't know, we just
(15:58):
came to this understanding andit, and it works to control the
meltdowns.
I tried to make sure.
And, and I used her as a gaugebecause I knew she wasn't, she
wasn't getting upset because shedidn't understand.
She didn't understand the whymm-hmm
And so I felt like if she gotthe why then so would everyone
(16:19):
else.
So when she, if she was okaywith it, then I was like, okay,
then I must have explained itwell enough.
And so in my mind that I reallyneed to make sure they
understand the, again, goingback to that purpose
intention, making sure that thatis clear.
And then I think that's whatgets lost.
Sometimes mm-hmm
(16:41):
know where we want the kids togo and we want us to trust the
process, you know, just do itbecause I said so, but
sometimes, you know, empoweringyour children to under to
understand the why, because thatagain is what allows them to be
able to do bigger and greaterthings on their own.
(17:02):
So on that next project comesalong.
They're starting to tell you,well, first we need to make sure
we understand what, um, we'rebeing asked to do to do.
So we have to define thequestion.
We have to make our drivingquestion that will help us stay
focused.
And, and you're just standing upthere going, okay, now you don't
(17:23):
need me.
I'll go here and sit down.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
Now I'm thinking about my own kids.
Like, do my students know thewhy behind the lesson we did
today?
It's one area of growth that Iwanna make sure I do this year
with my students.
And so I really appreciate that.
So the, and you just hit onsomething that is, has been in
the forefront of my mind latelyand math and English as you
know, tend to be prioritized inschools everywhere because it's
what state tested.
And it's what, you know, this isa whole other conversation, but
(17:52):
I've been talking to mathteachers frequently about one of
the challenges that theyexperience or they've been
telling me is that math is kindof taught.
Like it's just computational,you're solving these problems,
but it's really separated fromany real life application.
A lot of times, you know, it'spizza or gumballs or, or just
fictional scenarios and studentsdon't perform well many times.
(18:15):
And some of the reasons why iscuz just no connection.
I don't want to solve puzzles.
Like it's not my jam.
Do you have any just inside or,or perspective on how math is,
is taught in maybe a way thatyou think it would students
would benefit more?
Speaker 1 (18:32):
You know how kids learn in elementary school,
you've got this, the sameteacher teaching all of the
subjects.
And so wouldn't that be anawesome opportunity for you to
have like these, these projectswhere I feel like you could, a
class could legit work on thesame project for a whole entire
(18:56):
year.
And so couldn't the English bewriting your persuasive letter
to the mayor, asking him to dothis or do that.
And the process of doing thatthey're, they're, they're
writing with a purpose with atrue purpose.
Um, and then when they're doingmath, you know, they want, they
want a new neighborhood park.
(19:17):
So, you know, well how much isthis gonna cost?
Well, math, what size is itgonna be math?
Let's see what it looks like,art, you know, you just, you
have all of this things.
And then of course then science.
So if it's on a heel, how canwe, you know, deal with erosion?
And you know, you can just pullso many different things into
(19:41):
that.
And so not only are theylearning, but they're narrowed
in and focused on a project,they're, they're able to dive
deep into, you know, learningmore of learning, how to express
themselves and communicate withreal people.
So it's more of taking thesecompartmentalized learning that
we do in middle school and highschool.
(20:03):
Mm-hmm,
apprenticeship style.
Mm-hmm
and it's not about them beingthe best at math or being the
best at this or that.
Cuz there's so many tools nowthat could help you through
that.
But you're, you're giving,you're teaching them so many
life skills and so many ways tothink and problem solve that,
(20:24):
that we're just that the kidsjust don't have.
Speaker 2 (20:27):
I think that that is amazing.
And I think that in thatsituation, what I'm hearing is
we're going deeper, not widerbecause there are a lot of
different concepts that kids areexpected to learn.
Or I should say there areseveral concepts that teachers
are expected to teach doesn'tnecessarily mean that our kids
are learning, but we're teachingthem.
And this way you're embedded itinto an authentic context.
(20:49):
Students are able to go throughthis cycle just like real life.
And then they're also able tobuild these kind of really
transdisciplinary skills.
Not only am I learning the math,the English, the the, but I'm
also learning the interpersonalskills of being able to sell
myself and present myself in away that's winsome.
And it's especially powerfulcoming from someone from
industry.
Last question, even justlistening to you, I know you,
(21:10):
you are this for a lot ofpeople, but I wanted to ask you
who inspires you?
Speaker 1 (21:14):
I think there have been lots of people over the
years.
Like I'm thinking of my shopteacher who has since, uh, the
last few years passed away.
Um, he was one of those people,I think similar personality to
me, super quiet person, but hewas always in the background on
my journey and his name was JoeMo and we called her Madam Carol
(21:39):
was my 10th grade English litteacher.
And she was the one that startedreading my work out in front of
the class.
And you know, and that just gaveme courage, not so much to be
seen.
Uh, but that the work I wasdoing was, was good.
And, and I think I needed thatkind of encouragement.
(22:02):
Lastly, my students inspire mebecause when I look at their
faces and see the excitement, Ithink of those students for the
first time and, and, and thinkabout this seventh and eighth
graders for the first timefeeling like they really have
something to say, they reallyhave something to contribute of
(22:24):
value.
And, and I do it for them.
You know, the reason why I amhere in this moment is because
of them.
Um, without them, you wouldn'tbe talking to me
Speaker 2 (22:37):
This is, this is true.
This is, this is true.
You would probably never saythis about yourself, but you
just exude a humility and aservice in how you talk about
your students and yourself.
And I just wanna thank you forusing your gifts, but I don't
wanna just call them giftsbecause it makes it sound like
you didn't earn'em and yourskills that you've earned and
worked very hard to acquire overthe years to go back into the
(22:59):
classroom and leave industry,cuz you, you could have gone
back to industry too, but youdecided not to.
And you could have worked in theindustry and your hours were a
little different pay is a littledifferent, but you came back to
serve the kids of Indiana andbecause of you and because of
that choice, those students havea brighter future and believe in
themselves and they're findingtheir voice.
And I want to thank you for thatand for representing all of us
stem teachers who are in middleschool and being that leader.
(23:21):
So thank you for that and thankyou for being on the podcast.
You're
Speaker 1 (23:24):
Welcome.
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (23:28):
Thank so much for listening.
Now we wanna hear more about youin the amazing work you're doing
for students.
Do you have any educators whoinspire you?
You can nominate them as afuture guest on science
connections by emailing stem,amplify.com.
That's SST E M amplify.com.
Make sure to click, subscribewherever you listen to podcasts
(23:51):
and join our Facebook groupscience connections, the
community until next time.
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