I teach high school science in the Syracuse City school district at an alternative school. Many of my students have given up on school so I have to not only draw them back into seeing school as important but also prepare them for their future.
I was born and spent my childhood in Baltimore, Maryland. As an undergraduate I moved out of the city to West Virginia. I think it was the influence of congested city living and my family’s recycling and energy conservation habits that led me to major in Ecology and Environmental Sciences. There were many issues during those times that “tainted” my energy view including the Oil Embargo causing long lines at the gas pumps and the Three Mile Island accidental partial core meltdown. In West Virginia I saw first hand how the coal industry affected the surrounding land and people. After college I worked in a variety of water resource and planning jobs. I lived in Pennsylvania, Missouri and Kansas before moving to Syracuse, New York. It wasn’t until my own children were in school that I realized I needed to be a teacher. I went back to school at LeMoyne College for my Teaching Certificate and a Master’s in Teaching.
Three summers ago I participated in GK-12 CLIMB: Cornell's Learning Initiative in Medicine and Bioengineering. It was a great opportunity for me as well as my students. Phil Buskohl, my graduate fellow partner, was such an asset to my classroom. The students looked forward to having a real scientist in the classroom answering their questions and encouraging them to understand his research by participating in the curriculum we planned.
I want to educate myself and be involved in cutting-edge research on renewable and alternative energy so I can excite my students about the transition from petroleum to nonpetroleum fuels as well as energy conservation practices. As a society we need young people to be prepared to take the lead in changing our society’s energy hunger. I am very excited about participating in this program and developing curriculum that will work with my students. I also want my students to have an advantage in the job market and in career choices because they have been exposed to this material giving them better background knowledge and experience than their peers.