I see a lot of starry eyed teachers out there that are talented, knowledgeable and are willing to share what they know with others. They have all the makings of a great Science leader. So what is their next step?
Good question! It's not just about organizing your school Science fair or being the department chair in your Science department. Being a leader means putting yourself out there for a little bit more, something that places you at the next level.
It reminds me of the days in my other life before I became a teacher. I volunteered my civic duty to help the El Paso Chamber of Commerce with a committee that they were forming to help promote El Paso. It was called, "Bravo El Paso" and the committee's purpose was to promote tourism and a positive image for the city. This experience was instrumental in teaching me one very important lesson about volunteering. People like to give money to things but not so much their personal time. After serving on a few civic committees I realized that it's the same people volunteering to help over and over again. Because a volunteer committee is comprised of a few core people, they are happy to accept anyone into the fold if you are willing to roll up your sleeves and help. The payback for volunteering is two fold. You feel good because you did something good to help others AND you start to network with people who know how to lead and know how to get things done.
This is the case for Science Education organizations as well. If you are willing to get involved, roll up your sleeves and put in a little personal time, the opportunities to help Science teachers and Science education at the next level is quite open to you. As an elementary teacher, needing help getting materials for teaching science in the classroom, I decided to volunteer my time to help organize CAST 2002 (the Texas Science Education Conference or the Conference for the Advancement of Science Teachers.) It was being held in El Paso for the very first time and I volunteered with a fellow teacher to head up the hospitality committee for the conference. I thought that by getting involved I might be able to meet some vendors, get a few freebies for my kids..., however, I am reaping the rewards of helping out this conference to this very day. Here are some of the ways that just volunteering my time helped me as a science teacher and a future science leader:
Networking: By getting involved in organizations you get to meet people who do the same thing as you do. I met all of the science leaders of my district and from other districts by being on the CAST 2002 committee. They had a wealth of knowledge to share and as my friends, I could pick up the phone or send an email to get help with anything from knowing which equipment to purchase, to safety regulations, and how to start a science budget at my school.
State Curriculum: By getting involved in these organizations you start becoming aware of your curriculum from a different viewpoint, not just the frontlines of the classroom with the kids. These people helped me to become aware of how curriculum gets written, what it is comprised of and how to interpret it. Through the help of my network I was given opportunities to write curriculum and learn what it means at a deeper level. This experience helped me later to decide that I wanted to pursue a masters in curriculum and instruction for science.
Advocacy: Texas is a VERY large state, and most decisions are heavily influenced by the big three cities: Dallas, Houston and Austin. This may seem daunting but let me tell you something, if we don't get represented at the state level, its only because no one volunteered to do so. Organizations like STAT (Science Teachers Association of Texas) and TSELA (Texas Science Education Leadership Association) are always looking for volunteers to help lead their organizations. Right now our current TSELA president is Cynthia Ontiveros of EPISD and my husband, Tim Holt, is a past president of STAT. It's a doable thing, if you are willing to put in the time to volunteer.
But baby steps, my little burgeoning science leaders. If you are intimidated by the experience of throwing in your hat to become the president of STAT, why not begin by volunteering your time to our local organization, STEAM Region 19, organizers of miniCAST El Paso. We need you, even if its just to help get people signed in at the door at the conference. You can reach us at [email protected].
To join any of the science organizations I mentioned in this blog post, please click here to get to the Science Leadership Resource page.
Good question! It's not just about organizing your school Science fair or being the department chair in your Science department. Being a leader means putting yourself out there for a little bit more, something that places you at the next level.
It reminds me of the days in my other life before I became a teacher. I volunteered my civic duty to help the El Paso Chamber of Commerce with a committee that they were forming to help promote El Paso. It was called, "Bravo El Paso" and the committee's purpose was to promote tourism and a positive image for the city. This experience was instrumental in teaching me one very important lesson about volunteering. People like to give money to things but not so much their personal time. After serving on a few civic committees I realized that it's the same people volunteering to help over and over again. Because a volunteer committee is comprised of a few core people, they are happy to accept anyone into the fold if you are willing to roll up your sleeves and help. The payback for volunteering is two fold. You feel good because you did something good to help others AND you start to network with people who know how to lead and know how to get things done.
This is the case for Science Education organizations as well. If you are willing to get involved, roll up your sleeves and put in a little personal time, the opportunities to help Science teachers and Science education at the next level is quite open to you. As an elementary teacher, needing help getting materials for teaching science in the classroom, I decided to volunteer my time to help organize CAST 2002 (the Texas Science Education Conference or the Conference for the Advancement of Science Teachers.) It was being held in El Paso for the very first time and I volunteered with a fellow teacher to head up the hospitality committee for the conference. I thought that by getting involved I might be able to meet some vendors, get a few freebies for my kids..., however, I am reaping the rewards of helping out this conference to this very day. Here are some of the ways that just volunteering my time helped me as a science teacher and a future science leader:
Networking: By getting involved in organizations you get to meet people who do the same thing as you do. I met all of the science leaders of my district and from other districts by being on the CAST 2002 committee. They had a wealth of knowledge to share and as my friends, I could pick up the phone or send an email to get help with anything from knowing which equipment to purchase, to safety regulations, and how to start a science budget at my school.
State Curriculum: By getting involved in these organizations you start becoming aware of your curriculum from a different viewpoint, not just the frontlines of the classroom with the kids. These people helped me to become aware of how curriculum gets written, what it is comprised of and how to interpret it. Through the help of my network I was given opportunities to write curriculum and learn what it means at a deeper level. This experience helped me later to decide that I wanted to pursue a masters in curriculum and instruction for science.
Advocacy: Texas is a VERY large state, and most decisions are heavily influenced by the big three cities: Dallas, Houston and Austin. This may seem daunting but let me tell you something, if we don't get represented at the state level, its only because no one volunteered to do so. Organizations like STAT (Science Teachers Association of Texas) and TSELA (Texas Science Education Leadership Association) are always looking for volunteers to help lead their organizations. Right now our current TSELA president is Cynthia Ontiveros of EPISD and my husband, Tim Holt, is a past president of STAT. It's a doable thing, if you are willing to put in the time to volunteer.
But baby steps, my little burgeoning science leaders. If you are intimidated by the experience of throwing in your hat to become the president of STAT, why not begin by volunteering your time to our local organization, STEAM Region 19, organizers of miniCAST El Paso. We need you, even if its just to help get people signed in at the door at the conference. You can reach us at [email protected].
To join any of the science organizations I mentioned in this blog post, please click here to get to the Science Leadership Resource page.