A Love Letter to My Mentors and a Challenge to My Colleagues
Hi, this is my first science leadership blog entry. I started this new blog for science leadership in El Paso because of a promise that I made when I found out that I won these two awards. I was very humbled by the experience and realized that I need to do more to help not only teachers with science, but I needed to help science leaders as well. So this is the speech I gave at the Fall TSELA meeting in which I won the Outstanding Leadership in Science Award. It was a challenge that I set forth for my fellow Science leaders and I find it most appropriate for kicking off this blog. Its actually a love letter to every wonderful Science leader who helped me become who I am today. Here it is:
As we get on in our positions we need to start sizing up and nurturing the next generation of science leaders in our area. We need to seek out a teacher that is going above and beyond and getting involved in Science education. They should have a passion for kids and love to share what they do and what they find.
Coming from the largest school district in the Region 19 area I was exposed to a large network of wonderful science leaders. These people were movers and shakers and responsible for CAST 2002 in El Paso. Margaret Johnson, Mercy Guzman, Tim Holt, Charlie and Cheryll Geach and Marybeth Harper were instrumental in getting me involved in El Paso Science, helping me to get involved in district science fair, curriculum writing and introducing me to many wonderful district lab teachers and coaches. I had no idea that they would be preparing me for my current job, in charge of Science K-12 at Anthony ISD.
Taking over a program was overwhelming for me at first, but with the help of Margaret, Mercy and Charlie, I was able to inventory all of my labs. They steered me to the Dana Center to get materials lists and Sandra West's guidelines for safety requirements in the lab. They introduced me to vendors such as Holly Ahern at Sargent Welch, as well as Delta, Carolina, Frey, Flinn and ETA, which offered me discounts and help in ordering necessary equipment for my science program. With the help of all of these people I was able to jump start a science program that included a consumable budget, a small live materials center and the ability to tell teachers that they could now teach science because they had both the materials and the equipment.
Now that I was on my own in a tiny district (only 56 teachers and 800 students) I really felt like I was on an island with no one to network with. I quickly reached out to Region 19 and with the help of Carmen Imai and now Ernie Herrera, I was able to join the Texas Regional Collaboratives and was able to network with other teachers all over the Region 19 area.
To try to get my teachers to network we started Science/Technology monthly dinners with TCEA so that my teachers and others from the region could learn about local science taking place in their community. Our teachers have met a trainer for the Apollo missions, a UTEP scientist that discovered a new species of toad in the Congo and an astronaut from the Virgin Space Program to name a few.
After meeting teachers from all over the Region, I am actively looking for new science leaders to take the baton. As I meet these teachers I hear all kinds of concerns. For example:
In other words, we still need to hold a teacher's hand to make them successful in Science.
- - Not all elementaries are actively teaching science. In fact many are trying to tuck science into their ELAR, reading about science rather than doing it.
- - Teachers are paying out of their pocket to have lab because principals do not set aside money for consumable budget and equipment.
- -MS and elementary teachers still don't have the science background knowledge to teach science effectively and still need professional development with fun and educational activities and labs.
So here is my challenge for you,
Inventory your labs and make sure you have the equipment and consumable budgets that you need to teach science effectively so that you can avoid excuses. If you have all of your ducks in a row and know what you need, chances are you will find the money in the budgets.
Do something to help the science teaches in your area to network. Allow teachers to bring their kids if they are old enough to participate. Our kids are already considering becoming science teachers like their moms and dads
And when you see a new science leader emerging, take them under your wing. Have them join TSELA, introduce them to the vendors, the Dana Center and to other leaders in your area...
Just like great leaders did for me.
Thank You!