People

Why do I teach?  This statement will provide my personal insights into these important questions.  First, it must be understood that teaching is not an easy thing to do; it is hard and it involves a lot of struggle and personal sacrifice.  At times, it can seem like there is an almost infinite amount of preparation and grading to accomplish in a limited time.  Therefore, to teach you must be mentally strong and confident.  In short, I believe, to teach you must love it.  While searching for posters to put in my classroom, I stumbled across one that said “I’m not crazy because I teach; I’m crazy because I like it.”  For me, it goes a step further, I teach because I love it.  This also applies to my field, I teach science because I love science. Often, it is said that teaching is the noblest profession; a statement that I wholeheartedly agree with.  Being in a position to positively impact the education and lives of young people is an incredible joy (and privilege) that few get to enjoy.

I am the national evaluator for NOAA's B-WET program. Formerly, I was a professor of environmental and science education (12 yrs), a federal national program manager (8 yrs), and a marine biologist. I have researched science curriculum design, taught education theory, and was a field-based environmental educator.