Tag Archives: STEM teachers

CA teacher Lisa Moe to appear on Mission Unstoppable today

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Fourth grade STEM teacher Lisa Moe to appear on an episode of Mission Unstoppable later today. Photo credit: Twitter

Elementary school teacher Lisa Moe, who teaches fourth grade at Butterfield Ranch Elementary School in Chino Hills, California, will appear on television today in an episode of the show Mission Unstoppable. The episode will be broadcast at 9:00 am on KCBS-TV.

In her appearance, Lisa will describe her instructional strategies for building her students’ confidence and leadership abilities through Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) activities. Lisa, who promotes a “Yes, I can” mindset in her classroom, believes all students can excel in STEM activities.

Lisa’s curriculum emphasizes projects that provide ample opportunities for the kids to create something that make a positive contribution to the lives of others. For example, her students have created a home-made Roomba-style vacuum cleaner for the classroom that picks up pencil shavings and a cuddly robot dog that soothes children to sleep.

Lisa earned her Bachelor’s degree in Cultural Anthropology from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 2014. She completed the requirements for her first Master’s degree from the University of California, Irvine, in 2016, and her second Master’s in Education Technology from California State University, Fullerton, in 2020. In addition, she is certified in Gifted & Talented Education (GATE), New Generation Science Standards (NGSS), and Micro:bit Robotics.

Lisa inaugurated her career as an educator by working as a substitute for two years, followed by a one-year stint as an Intervention Specialist in the Corona Norco Unified School District in Corona, California. She has taught in Chino Hills for the past five years.

For her work in the classroom, Lisa has earned many accolades. The exceptional educator was named the 2020 Edwin Carr recipient in Educational Technology through California State University, Fullerton. She also garnered the honor of 2021 IACUE Blended and Online Educator of the Year.

Congratulations, Lisa Moe!

STEM educator Sharita Ware named Indiana’s 2022 Teacher of the Year

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Congratulations to Sharita Ware of Lafayette, Indiana, who has been named her state’s 2022 Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: Purdue University

Congratulations to Sharita Ware, an engineering and technology education teacher from Lafayette, Indiana! She has been named her state’s 2022 Teacher of the Year.

In her tenth year as a professional educator, Sharita teaches seventh and eighth graders at East Tipp Middle School at the Tippecanoe School Corporation in Lafayette. Her real-world, problem-based curriculum presents students with challenges that will help them contribute to their community. Included among the projects her students have worked on are designing prosthetic legs for Barbie dolls, building race cars, and programming robots.

Sharita also hosts after-school activities which provide students with opportunities to be innovative and creative through such programs as FIRST Lego League, the Monday Maker Hour, and March Maker Magic. “Our maker space gives kids freedom. You will have desired learning outcomes, but the way that they get to that learning outcome could be totally different from student to student and group to group,” says Sharita. “It is messy, and it’s hard for some teachers to have it be that messy. Sometimes, you think, ‘Is anything happening here?’ Kids will do projects completely different from each other, but they will learn the same thing,” she continued. “It’s pretty awesome to watch — if your nerves can handle it,” she concluded.

Sharita earned her Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering Technology from the Purdue Polytechnic Institute in 1993. She earned her Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction from Purdue University in 2013. In addition, she is certified in the Gateway to Technology program sponsored by Project Lead The Way. She worked in engineering and marketing in the private sector for a number of years before become an educator.

In addition to her honors as Indiana State Teacher of the Year, Sharita is a Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellow in the STEM Goes Rural program at Purdue University. She was also involved in the College of Technology Leadership and Innovation Advisory Board from 2014 to 2019.

Read more about Sharita Ware in this article published by Purdue University.

Benavides named 2022 Texas State Teacher of the Year

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High school STEM teacher Ramon Benavides of El Paso, Texas, has been named his state’s 2022 Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: Ramon Benavides

I always enjoy sharing stories about exemplary educators who have won honors for their work in the classroom. One of these is Ramon Benavides, a high school STEM teacher from El Paso, Texas, who has been named his state’s 2022 Teacher of the Year.

Ramon teaches Biology and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) courses at Del Valle High School in the Ysleta Independent School District. His career there has spanned 12 years.

It is amazing that Ramon made his way into the classroom. He is the son of migrant farmworkers who were forced to drop out of school at a young age to help support their family. Later, Ramon saw his parents return to school, earn their diplomas and become teachers themselves. He took his cue from them.

Ramon says his work as an educator isn’t about the teaching, it’s about the positive exchanges. “The kids are the best part of my job, by far,” he says. “One of my greatest joys is getting to stand outside my classroom and as my kids come in we exchange that smile, and for that split second we know that everything is okay,” he continues.

The honored educator earned a Bachelor’s degree in Biology at the University of Texas, San Antonio, in 2001, and a second Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry at the University of Texas, Brownsville, in 2003. He completed the requirements for his Master’s degree in Teaching Science at University of Texas, El Paso, in 2016. He is currently working on his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership at Texas Tech University, Lubbock.

Congratulations, Ramon!

Florida computer science teacher Tim Clyatt succumbs to Covid-19

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Florida computer science teacher Tim Clyatt succumbed to complications from Covid-19 on November 13, 2021. Photo credit: Jacksonville Memorial Gardens.

Sadly, we report that yet another beloved educator has succumbed to complications from Covid-19. Tim Clyatt, a teacher in the Clay County School District in Clay County, Florida, passed away on November 13, 2021. He was only 59 years old.

Tim was a computer science teacher at the Bannerman Learning Center in Green Cove Springs. The unique facility prepares non-traditional students for success in a global and competitive workplace by teaching students positive life skills and by teaching them to become life-long learners. The school reports an enrollment of minority students at 43%, and economically disadvantaged students at 56%.

Tim’s career as an educator spanned nearly 20 years. In a statement released by the school district, Tim was described by District officials as a “dedicated teacher who made a difference in the lives of many during his teaching career.” His students agree. “It’s tragic,” remarked Bannerman ninth grader Brooklyn Powers, who described her teacher as “most of the kids’ favorite teacher at the school.” The student added, “He understood kids very well.”

Tim was born April 16, 196,1 in Lake City, Florida. After his graduation from Columbia High School in his home town in 1979, he continued his education at Florida State University.

In addition to his classroom responsibilities, Tim was a member of the National Education Association, the Florida State University Garnet Key Honor Society, the Clay County Education Association, and the Florida Education Association.

To read more about Tim Clyatt, see this link to a story about him published by The Florida Times Union.

PA’s Christine Houlahan: Educator, veteran, and politician

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Christine Houlahan of Pennsylvania: Educator, veteran, politician. Photo credit US Congress.

The Teach For America program has produced some very fine educators. One of these is Christine Houlahan, a high school science teacher from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She also serves as a representative in the US Congress.

Christine was born on June 5, 1967, at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. Her father was born to a Jewish family in Poland, and at age four, he emigrated to avoid the Holocaust. After serving as a naval aviator, he became a historian and author.

As a young woman, Christine completed the requirements for her Bachelor’s degree in Engineering at Stanford University in California in 1989. She earned her Master’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Christine also served three years in the United States Air Force and 13 years in the Air Force Reserve. She retired from the military in 2004 after earning the rank of captain.

After completing her military career, Christine accepted a job in the private sector. While there, she completed 40 hours of paid community service working with young girls in a local Science, Engineering, and Technology (STEM) program. Later she enrolled in the Teach for American program. Through this program, she taught eleventh grade chemistry and other science courses at Simon Gratz High School in Philadelphia.

After she left the Teach for America program, Christine joined Springboard Collaborative, a Philadelphia-based non-profit focusing on early childhood literacy in underserved populations nationwide. She served as both President and CFO/COO of that organization before leaving to focus on her political campaign.

In 2018, Christine was elected to the Democratic ticket to serve as a representative in the US Congress from Pennsylvania’s 6th District. During the one term that she served, her platform  included an emphasis on health care, campaign finance reform, and the creation of more jobs. She also stressed the importance of education, veterans’ affairs, and family issues. While in Congress, she was part of the House Armed Services Committee, the House Small Business Committee, and the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Christine Houlahan: Veteran, politician, and Chalkboard Champion