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Working with and getting to know Jen and other members of the PMSP partnership has been great. Such awesome teachers and community partners.

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Using our new Amplify curriculum and cruising through our second unit. The students understanding of magnetic force was fantastic, and now they are becoming wildlife biologists.

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Miranda                        Working with preschool teachers, daycare providers and parents so that they can incorporate STEM learning and NGSS practices into their classrooms and homes. I am so glad they even the youngest students will now be getting a better science education.

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Miranda                        Working with preschool teachers, daycare providers and parents so that they can incorporate STEM learning and NGSS practices into their classrooms and homes. I am so glad they even the youngest students will now be getting a better science education.

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Because of this grant I am so grateful for the many opportunities that I have been given. It has opened up many doors for me. I never, EVER thought I would be a STEM TOSA. Each day is different and a lot of hard work and challenging. But a favorite moment would have to be going to ifly and accomplishing a fear.

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I enjoy planning with other teachers around NGSS. It has been so humbling how much the teachers trust me and want to use my knowledge to better their own learning and craft.

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I was able this year to go around to about 90% of the classes and teach students about science inquiry. The excitement made teaching them so easy. Students were engaged.

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My Principal/VP allowing me to work with staff and develop professional development around NGSS.

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Finding new hikes while the Columbia Rive Gorge is recovering.

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I've really focused on slowing things down and providing more time and opportunity for my two kids to explore scientific interests.
Like ice melting, or looking at EVERYTHING through the hand lens.

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I am thankful to be part of a collaborative PLT. We haven't solved all the issues of hows and whats, but we're having real conversations.

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Not there yet. Seems like the initiative fatigue is intense right now.

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The yard at my new house was a blank slate. I enjoyed putting in almost all native plants. It's been a lot of reading and studying and hunting good native plant sales and I have enjoyed every second of it.

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Seeing the rain gardens and bioswales we installed handling the rainwater discharge off of our buildings.

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A few times as a sub, I have brought out the paper and tape and simply had student engineer teams create the tallest tower possible. After looking at other towers, teams have more time to modify their own structures before presenting to the class. This problem-solving activity has saved some afternoons!

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Just talking/sharing with my daughters about science/nature and watching their faces lift up every time! Proud momma here!! :)

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I got to do iFly indoor skydiving!! Totally cool! That was a personal favorite, besides the total eclipse!

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Continuing to learn and push myself and challenge myself to grow in yet another new teaching position, and to have so much support from friends, loved ones, and colleagues.

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Getting a chance to connect with some small district administrators and see how much they do (when they are supportive of science for all students) and to see what they can make happen for their teachers.

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My favorite was working with the last group of MSP teachers for the Energy and matter course, even though it was over 100 degrees outside, everyone was in a learning mode. The solar ovens got the hottest I have ever seen them get!

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I am absolutely motivated to find a solution with my students to the plastics not being recycled here problem.

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Finally seeing my school district put money and resources into supporting science curriculum!

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I went to a training for creating UBD science units, and felt like I knew as much as (or possibly more) than the company reps and other teachers in the diocese, and being a resource to help them.

And nature. Just experiencing and appreciating nature, even when it's just during the drive to and from school,.

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Subbing in my former teaching partner's classroom and discovering that she has put together STEM bins for her students! Hooray! My influence has rubbed off on her. I have also been able to answer a few questions that another former colleague has in her new role as a language coach (and also dealing with science!).

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Making an effort to actually get up and go see the eclipse totality! The most amazing celestial event I've ever witnessed.

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Being asked about my experience with the grant program and having colleagues who want support from me even though I'm new to my building.

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Honestly - just understanding things around me better - and looking at the world even wider than I did before. I have enjoyed that with everything that I have encountered. Life long learning is the best!

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Watching my students learn how to use dialog in science

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We have students begging to stay later and asking their parents to let them finish their science class

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Taking the issue of global climate change in a Socratic way. A number of students "don't believe in it." I have proposed to the class that we look at the facts. They can decide for themselves. I told them I want us all to keep an open mind. We will only address the facts. Interesting that many scientists correlate rising temperatures to other effects without connecting the points of data to prove their assertions. The students blindly were accepting this, and I challenged them to dig deeper to prove the connections. It is a truly student- centered process

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Speaking at the Early Learning Conference! This was SO much fun! I want to be able to do these types of things more often!

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I love my Eco Team. They are currently taking care of a new orange tree and Amaryllis and paper white bulbs in the McKinley greenhouse, really just some south facing windows in the hall. Today we went on a mushroom hunt and they asked me to buy books on mushrooms for them. They chose to do all of this instead of going to recess. (Oh my goodness Leah! I just saw your personal post after typing this. Want to come in to McKinley and help us ID mushrooms?)

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My third graders have grown so much in their ability to support their claims with evidence. I enjoy reading their written responses because they are getting so good at using evidence! Just the overall excitement they have at doing the activities and how engaged they are in our phenomenon discussions.

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Getting a chance to pop into classrooms of
teachers recently - something I've missed so much.

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My favorite science learning was experiencing the solar eclipse and being awed by nature.

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I have the pleasure of doing STEAM lessons with all K-5 grade students in my school. I get to see them during their specials once every 8 days for 45 minutes. The favorite science learning moment was when I took all classes outside to investigate the landscape around the school. All kids should be able to explore and wonder about the world outside! We need to get kids outdoors more often!

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Salmon Watch!!! I wrote a grant and got 9 6th grade classes out for field experiences at the end of September.

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They are currently contemplating making me the first almost full time science teacher for our elementary school

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I personally just love to bask in my mini science glow of my principal always recommending me for any science-anything to anyone who asks. Haha!

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Teaching a picture-perfect lesson to 1st graders on robots. They loved it and had so much fun. Because I have been out of the classroom this year, it was nice to be able to teach science to a whole group again!
Presenting on the OSTA Conference with my 4th grade students from last year.

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Geeking out about science with other educators who are excited about science and the possibilities of NGSS!

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I haven't been in one school consistently, but I was able to connect with a few administrators at the COSA conference and also work with a United Way Early Learning Coordinator to bring workshops to Early Learning educators & parents.

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Collaborating with the STEAM coordinator in the building to develop PD and exchange ideas about further opportunities for teachers.
Presenting on the COSA Early Learning Conference!

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I walked into a first year classroom teacher's room today and it was a mad house of solar cooker building. It was amazing! Such happy and focused kids!

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When the lights finally come on for colleagues and they begin to show the lifetime learner persona

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I have a new principal and she has asked me to coordinate a STEAM Family Night!

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The moment our ELL director asked me to review science units created by ELL TOSA's for NGSS alignment. I went to the meeting with them after using the EQuiP rubric, and they were overjoyed. One said, "If you had told me everything was all right I would have known you were blowing smoke." Seems like we are getting closer to being on the same page.

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Having a Beaverton STEM/STEAM School TOSA PLC to collaborate with when planning professional development and a STEAM culture. Learning as we go and supporting each other once a month has been powerful.

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Working with my principal and vice-principal on STEAM, NGSS, partnerships (Adelante Mujeres) and leadership opportunities in general.
Talking to the assistant superintendent about Vose, student achievement, and science education.

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hearing from colleagues about the science they're teaching

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My VP was open to spending some Title money on science resources at the end of last school year. It has been awesome to have more resources!

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Working with my principal on a STEAM NGSS professional development pathway for staff.

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After knowing my students last year so well - and having them know me so well - it was fun (well now it is) to get a new group and start from scratch with their science abilities and most importantly their mindsets. It has been fun to see how much growth they already have in switching out of the one answer given by the teacher to learning how to ask their own questions and want to discover the answers on their own. I also super loved listening to one of my students from last year share at an all school assembly what it means to be an inquirer - his answer was so thorough and it melted my heart knowing that he still seems so passionate about everything we talked about last year!

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The support of my principal to get/keep me involved in various science leadership opportunities; leading PD, attending UBD trainings, etc.

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Getting the opportunity to have more of a leadership role in the Extended Cohort has been a fantastic learning experience for me and an opportunity to think creatively about how to effectively use Zoom and other online platforms to collaborate.

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Sadly I'm not working in a classroom right now - just working intensively with one little student.

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This fall I used my Instagram account (and others') as my personal citizen science project to observe mushroom fruiting patterns over time in different parts of the PNW. I was able to compare my observations from this season with last year. Along the way I've observed patterns that have helped me find lots of chanterelles this season - such as the size/age/species of partner trees (second growth Douglas fir) and the presence of moss on the forest floor.

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Sitting down with members of my cohort in person (!) to see and hear about what they are doing in science education was so enjoyable and inspiring. Seeing actual kids in school buildings made me yearn for my teacher days and look forward to being a classroom teacher again.