I have taught biology for 10 years at 2 different schools in different states. I currently teach all levels of biology (Foundations to AP) at Lebanon High School in New Hampshire. Along with a few students, I was able to start a Science Honor Society at the school this year. We partner with several different local organizations, companies, colleges, and hospitals to improve scientific literacy in our school and community. I also am involved with a science ELO (Extended Learning Opportunity) in which students plan and conduct real research projects and present their findings at local conferences. I will be attending Modeling the Molecular World at 3D Molecular Designs this summer with aspirations to become a Model Teacher. Baltimore was my first NABT Conference and I am very excited to get more involved with this organization to provide meaningful scientific activities for my students.

When I was a long-term sub, I remember distributing the teacher’s final exam. The first question asked who invented the microscope. I thought to myself, if students can’t use a microscope to figure out the way the world works, does it matter who developed it? While this may help students if they end up on Jeopardy, this method of science education does not help to facilitate critical thinking skills or prepare students to be 21st century citizens. If students are to be competitive on the world-scale in science and contribute positively to our communities, they have to be given authentic science experiences in the classroom. Students need to be doing the practices that scientists do. Planning investigations, analyzing data, using models, arguing from evidence, and others are all things that students need to be doing. Learning should happen in teams, which means my classroom is active, and not a quiet place. As long as students are doing the things scientists do, we as teachers are preparing them to be 21st century citizens.

I currently teach 9th grade biology at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute in Baltimore City, Maryland.   I will begin my 9th year of classroom teaching this fall. Over the years, I’ve taught 1st grade through adult education, covering many subjects, with biology being my favorite. I have a BS in biology from UNC-Charlotte, an MS in Biology as well as an MAT from University of Maryland Baltimore County. I am a published author in the journal of Applied and Environmental Microbiology. I have found my membership with NABT to be very rewarding and inspiring, and it has bolstered my professional goals for teaching. In my current position, I work with the Ingenuity Project, a non-profit organization that is dedicated to enhancing STEM education for talented Baltimore City Public School students. The program begins in four different middle schools throughout Baltimore where students receive rigorous academic instruction in both math and science. High school students attend BPI where they continue their pursuit of challenging course work in STEM subjects, participate in a research practicum, and prepare to become STEM leaders of the future.

I began my teaching career right after college and it did not last long. I taught for two years and decided teaching wasn’t for me. I left and became a police officer in Baltimore City. In my nearly 7 years with BPD, I learned so much about the city and the adversity that many students were facing while trying to be successful in school. I returned to teaching with a different perspective and with different goals. Initially, I believed content was the most important aspect of teaching. It was paramount for students to be successful on state-mandated tests. While these tests persist, and student success is important, I put much more weight into inspiring students to pursue higher education and careers in STEAM. The overall student experience has become much more focal in my teaching practices. I want students to feel valued, I want them to see themselves reflected in our curriculum, and I want them to feel inspired and to foster curiosity. Student-inquiry driven lessons have been the best way for me to achieve these goals.   I strive in every lesson to have my students in the driver’s seat, developing the questions that they want to answer. This is a skill I model and they practice from the beginning of the year. They learn how to develop investigative questions for class, research questions for lab and field work, as well as how to think critically about source material. So much of what they want to know aligns with what they need to know based on standards.   I now see myself as a guide for them rather than an instructor.

The second shift for me involved a change in mindset– assuming positive intent for all my students. This has made me a more empathetic practitioner; it has strengthened my relationships with my students and their families and led to a richer classroom culture. When my students know they are valued and believed, it allows us to make deeper connections with the content and discuss more real-world applications. It has led to increased student engagement and higher performance overall. I have also developed more methods for supporting students academically and socio-emotionally.

Lastly, I want my students to be good global citizens. I want them to have the necessary tools to combat disinformation. My class focuses on the value of good research and how to understand primary literature. I also want students to think about their place in the world and consider the responsibilities we have as Americans in protecting the environment, in species conservation, protecting the rights of indigenous peoples, and in the ethical pursuit of scientific research.

This fall, I will be starting my 31st year at Cinnaminson High School. I graduated in 1994 from the University of Delaware with a BA in Biological Sciences Education. In 2006, I received a Masters degree in Forensic Medicine from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. I have taught all levels of biology, as well as Forensic Science, Anatomy & Physiology and Introduction to Sports Medicine. Outside of the classroom, I am the head coach of the girls tennis team, co-advisor for the Class of 2023 (my 8th class, which started with the Class of 1999), advisor of Glamour Gals and Future Healthcare Professionals Club. I am a mentor to new science teachers and sit on the National Honor Society Faculty Council. When not doing school-related activities, I enjoy spending time with my husband and 3 kids and friends as well as enjoying hobbies such as photography, reading, kayaking and spending time at the beach and the mountains.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the term biology as a “branch of knowledge that deals with living organisms and vital processes” or “the plant and animal life of a region or environment.” It is my job to take that definition and make it COME ALIVE within the walls of my classroom by making biology more relatable, engaging and hands-on. Some of the ways in which I can do that is through real-world examples, using visual aids and creating hands-on experiences. But for me, teaching is not only about the curriculum but goes well beyond the walls of the classroom. I want my students to reach their full potential while also developing and refining their kindness and compassion to others. I hope that when all is said and done, I will be remembered as the teacher who instilled the values of empathy, integrity and responsibility, a passion for life-long learning and a never-ending curiosity of the outside world.

I earned my B.A. in Biology and Secondary Education from Lake Forest College and a M.A. in curriculum and instruction from Concordia University. I started my career 32 years ago as a life science teacher at Lake Bluff Middle School. In the fall of 2002, I began teaching in Grayslake Community High School District 127, and I currently work at Grayslake North High School. Over the years I have taught AP Biology, honors biology, on-level biology, and zoology. In addition, I am the co-sponsor of our chapter of the National Honor Society, and I am a member of the mentoring team. I serve as a model teacher for 3d Molecular Designs, and I am a strong advocate of using modeling to help students conceptualize biological content. When I am not teaching, I enjoy traveling, reading, walking, and spending time with my husband of thirty years and our two daughters.

I wholeheartedly believe that EVERY educator must provide their students with content, tasks, and assessments which appropriately challenge them. Educators should not be stealing the struggle from our students. Growth only happens when we face formidable tasks and when we fall short. Failure should not be avoided; it is a necessary part of the learning process. To help my students develop grit, I ask them to embrace the growth mindset and to view failure as opportunity rather than a setback. We discuss the benefits of positive self-talk. Rather than saying I cannot do this, I ask them to reframe that statement as follows: “I have not learned this yet.” When one strategy does not work, I encourage them to look for a new way to approach that problem. In short, I teach them that resiliency is a super power!

In addition, I believe that biology teachers should be helping the next generation to develop a passion for the sciences and to see beauty in the natural world around us. To this end, I teach my students something I call the transitive property of equality for biology. Simply put, bio equals life, life equals wow, and therefore, bio equals wow! This is my attempt to get students to step back and to see the bigger picture. I want them to develop an appreciation and a sense of awe for all living things; they need to understand the connections between themselves and the natural world around them.

The 2024-25 school year will be my 23rd year in education. I began my career in 1996 as a middle school special education teacher. Teaching core classes for students with learning disabilities and behavior disorders, I discovered my passion for science education. From 2003-2009 I was fortunate enough to take a break from teaching to stay home with our children. During that time I earned an M.A.T in Science. I returned to teaching high school science classes (biology, ecology and physical science) in 2009. Since 2015 I have also served as the Curriculum Leader for our science department. In 2023 I earned an Ed.D. in Teacher Leadership, focusing on brain science and metacognition. I also enjoy the challenge of designing and facilitating professional learning for educators. Outside of school I enjoy spending time with my supportive husband, Mark and our children, Will and Kate.

My core belief is that the purpose of education is “Understanding, not Answers.” Often in education, administrators focus on standardized test scores and students focus on task completion and grades. In our culture of a “points economy” it is more important than ever to provide students with deep, immersive learning experiences that challenge them to grow as learners and build understanding, instead of just earning a grade. Our students deserve a solid understanding of biology which will empower them to make educated decisions to care for themselves, their family, community and be good stewards of our world and its resources.

Ken was born in Germany and grew up on the Miss. Gulf Coast. He teaches both Invertebrate Zoology and Vertebrate Zoology and is the Zoological Field Studies Coordinator at Madison Central High School in Madison, MS, where he has taught for 29 of his 42-year career as an educator. He has been named Mississippi’s Conservation Educator of the Year by the Mississippi Wildlife Federation (2007) and by the Mississippi Association of Conservation Districts (2002). He was his school’s and district’s Teacher of the Year in 2001 and was a recipient of the MetroJackson Outstanding Teacher Award (2007), The Mississippi Science Teachers Association’s Fred Brown Outstanding High School Science Teacher of the Year (2023). He is known throughout the Deep South as the Bird Man and is often a featured guest host on the Weekend Gardening Radio Show. He is a Past-president of both the Jackson Audubon Society and the Mississippi Ornithological Society. In 2017, he was a featured speaker of the Queensland Naturalists’ Annual Conference in Longreach, Australia, where he spoke about the research he and his students have done on Henslow’s Sparrows- research done in conjunction with Phil Stouffer’s lab at LSU. He and his students have also done research for the American Bird Conservancy in the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, gathering point counts for avian species in timber harvest areas.

As a 42-year veteran of the classroom, I have always felt that experiences and mistakes are the two greatest teachers there are. I want my students to experience Zoology, not just read about it or look it up. To that end, we have 20 tanks and aquaria in the room, containing everything from coral reef ecosystems to rainforest habitats. To experience ‘living’ Zoology is to learn Zoology in the most effective manner. During class, we explore our 74-acre campus for local flora and fauna. On weekends, we visit nearby ecologically important areas in our region to experience the flora and fauna. Summers find us in other countries in places such as Africa, the Amazon, Australia, the Galapagos, and Costa Rica. My students are constantly reminded to read critically, think critically, and write critically. They are encouraged to open their eyes to the world around them. My students learn from our mistakes, and we make learning an adventure both inside and outside of the classroom.

I hold a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a pre-med focus and a minor in Spanish from Arizona State University (2009). I also hold a Master of Education with Secondary Certification in Biology from Northern Arizona University (2012). I have been an integral part of Dr. Camille Casteel High School in the Chandler Unified School District in Arizona for the past 9 years.

My teaching experience spans grades 7 through 12, where I have engaged students in various science courses including 7th and 8th grade Gifted Science, Honors Biology, AP Biology, AP Research, Biotechnology 1, and Biotechnology 2. Alongside teaching, I have also assumed leadership roles, serving as the Science Department Chair at Dr. Camille Casteel High School, mentoring new science instructors across the district, and acting as the Chandler Innovation Fair Coordinator at my site. I received the Sandy Lundberg Educator of the Year Finalist award and am a Center for Disease Control Science Ambassador Fellow.

The teaching philosophy for high school biology education should be rooted in the belief that biology is a fundamental and dynamic science that helps students understand the natural world and their place within it. As a teacher, I have the opportunity to cultivate curiosity, critical thinking, and a sense of responsibility toward the environment and society. I encourage students to ask questions and explore biological concepts through inquiry-based learning, fostering an environment where curiosity is welcomed. I also believe that biology is a science that requires students to analyze data, draw conclusions, and solve complex problems. Students also need to connect biological concepts to real-world issues and everyday experiences. I try to show students how biology relates to their community, nation, and global challenges through topics like conservation, public health, and biotechnology. I also value diversity and inclusivity by recognizing and respecting the diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives of my students. By fostering a love for biology and an understanding of its relevance to society, I can help students become informed citizens who are capable of making positive contributions to their community and nation.

I am starting my seventh year of teaching at Greenwood High School in Arkansas. I earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Arkansas in 1995 and a Doctor of Optometry from the Southern College of Optometry in 1999. Most of my career was spent working in the vision industry as a provider and as an executive with several healthcare companies.

At Greenwood High, I teach AP Biology, Dual Credit Microbiology, and Dual Credit Zoology. I also lead an independent research course for students. Additionally, I am an AP reader and look forward to continuing to find new ways to serve the teaching community.

My primary goal in teaching my students is to build a relationship with them so that they know they are noticed and important in my eyes. I have found that when relationships are established, students strive for more than they ever thought they could achieve and trust me to push them a little farther than they would go on their own. From an instructional standpoint, I want my students to leave my class with the skills to evaluate information or a claim and make an informed decision. My greatest teaching feedback comes when a former student reaches out to let me know that learning to think critically has served them far more in their professional pursuits than any specific piece of information I shared. My only regret in teaching is that I did not start this career earlier. If I had known how much fun spending the day with young people could be, I would have left my previous career years ago.

I was born and raised in the Midwest but relocated to Albuquerque during high school and have been there ever since. I got my Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts in Elementary Education at the University of New Mexico and have taught 3rd-8th grade in a variety of capacities. My passion for professional development has permeated my teaching. I spent two summers at Sandia National Labs’ Advanced Materials Lab working on the coordination chemistry of gallium as part of UNM’s Research Experience for Teachers Program. This dovetailed into the high altitude ballooning my students did through New Mexico Space Studies. My coral unit was developed after working with the Coral Resilience Lab at the Hawai’i Institute of Marine Biology.

In 2023 I received the Outstanding Educator Award from the New Mexico Academy of Science. I am a National Geographic Society and Lindblad Expeditions Grosvenor Teacher Fellow, a Golden Apple Fellow, a 2023 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching finalist, and a 2024 New Mexico Teacher of the Year finalist.

My biology curriculum is interwoven with multiple opportunities for extended exploration. My middle school students have completed biotechnology labs, Growing Beyond Earth, and various other grant funded projects. My chief goal as a teacher is to help students develop the tools to engage in scientific inquiry. This is best accomplished by a rigorous exploration into as many hands-on labs as possible.

I’ve been a secondary teacher for twenty-six years, through a long and winding road. I earned a Bachelor of Arts in English Education from William Jewell College, a Master’s in Biology from University of Central Oklahoma, and will soon complete a PhD in Science Education from Oklahoma State University, I’ve been blessed to spend most of my career teaching in my home school district in Harrah, Oklahoma where my children were fourth-generation graduates. I’m honored to have published two articles in The American Biology Teacher: Using Modeling to Develop a Deep Understanding of Photosynthesis & Cellular Respiration as Chemical Processes and Stability and Change in a Freshwater Ecosystem: A Blooming Mess.

Learning, at all levels, is an active process. Learners must engage with both their prior knowledge and with new material to build their own frameworks for knowledge. Rather than just receiving information to be memorized, true learning occurs when students must actively think about the concepts and apply them to novel situations.

My teaching facilitates learning by focusing on both analysis and application. In my classes, students spend a great deal of time interacting with various forms of data and models in order to discover important scientific concepts. As students think independently then discuss what they’ve found with peers and with me, they build deep and flexible understandings of science rather than memorizing facts that will most likely be soon forgotten. Later, students can engage with various scenarios in their own lives in which they will be able to apply what they’ve learned.

I live on my family’s historic homestead in central Oklahoma with my husband Lance and dog Fletcher. Our three children, Patrick, Rachel, and TJ live nearby as do our parents and extended families.

Exploring the squishy feel of dissections, observing the progress of an electrophoresis gel, viewing the intricacies unveiled in microscopy… and I get to do this every year? It just doesn’t get any better than this. I have had the privilege of teaching my favorite subject to thousands for 25 years. I earned a B.A. in Biology from Texas A&M and hold Teaching Certificates in Biology 8-12 and Composite Science 9-12. I taught in America’s largest magnet school, Skyline, in Dallas, a small private school in NYC, The Beekman School, and an all girls school, Providence Catholic School in San Antonio. This has been an amazing year. I won Teacher of the Year at Providence, Educator of the Year for the Archdiocese of San Antonio and the OBTA from NABT. What’s next? Middle School Science at a gifted and talented independent school, The Keystone School. I’m ready to blow their minds!

My school experience was full of diverse classrooms, field trips, and experiences that created lasting memories of great teachers and lessons that definitely influenced the teacher that I am today.

A science teacher gave me a rock collection for Valentine’s Day which led to a lifelong rock collecting hobby. Sushi, specifically uni, is my favorite food because the first time I tried it was on a field trip to a beach where a teacher pulled a sea urchin from a tidal pool, broke it open on a rock and fed it to the class. These lessons stuck with me. I want my students to have memories like this when they think of their time in my class. In the future, when my former students make pizza on a first date at a cooking class at Sur la Table, I want them to remember that we made bread in class when studying cellular respiration and fermentation. When they butter their toast in the morning, I want them to remember that butter is a lipid because we made butter in class when studying the classes of biomolecules.   I fully believe you have to do science to understand it and that everything learned can and should be connected to everyday life. My ultimate goal is to demonstrate the magic of science through hands-on lab activities and real life connections creating science lovers who understand the science all around them.

I am a high school science teacher at Rocky Mountain High School in Fort Collins, Colorado. Throughout my 17 years in education, I have taught Biology, Zoology, Environmental Science, Anatomy, and Physiology among other subjects including honors, advanced placement, and co-teaching. In 2018, I earned a Doctorate of Education in Organizational Leadership from California Coast University, a Master’s Degree in Science Education from Oregon State University, and a Bachelor's Degree in Biology from the University of Texas in Brownsville. I enjoy supporting students in science competitions, serving on committees, engaging in and presenting at professional development conferences, serving as the Region 1 Secondary Director for the Colorado Association of Science Teachers (CAST) and working on a contract basis with the National Geographic education team.

As a biology teacher, I aim to inspire students of all backgrounds and identities to see themselves as explorers and scientists as they learn about the natural world. Acknowledging the importance of representation, windows, and mirrors, as well as being aware that the needs of our students do not start as they enter our classroom nor stop when they go home, is critical. I strongly value diversity and believe it is important to acknowledge and celebrate it by making the classroom an inclusive and safe environment with the goal of empowering students. Every year, I enjoy our journey as students are challenged to explore real-world issues while making connections to biological concepts, fostering curiosity and life-long learning. As a life science teacher whose personal science experiences in the classroom were limited by socioeconomic factors and identity, my passion is grounded in creating equitable learning experiences that cultivate an understanding of biology relevant to all students, both inside and outside the classroom.

I am a National Board Certified Teacher (AYA Science). I earned my Ph.D. in Bioorganic Chemistry from Texas A&M University. I have been teaching AP Biology, Honors Biology, Biology, Forensics at Southridge High School since 2013 and chemistry as an adjunct instructor at Columbia Basin College for 14 years.

I continuously strive to grow as a biology teacher. As a Murdock Partners in Science Grant Awardee, I was an Associate Research Fellow at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory during the summers of 2018 and 2019 and received the Murdock Supplemental Grant in 2020. As a 2022 NEA Foundation Global Learning Fellow, I learned about the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, traveled to Lima, Peru to learn about their educational system, and created lessons on climate change which are accessible to educators across the globe. As a 2023 Fund for Teachers Fellow, I attended the Amazon Educator Academy in Iquitos, Peru to learn about biodiversity, sustainable development, environmental injustices, and the hardships of the indigenous Maijuna people. As the 2024-2025 recipient of the Hutch Fellowship for Excellence in STEM Teaching from Fred Hutch Cancer Research Center, I am learning computational biology to do cancer research next summer. I also received the 2024 STEM Research Grant from the Society for Science.

I am a 2024 semi-finalist for the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship and a 2023 Washington State Finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. I received the 2024 Fund for Teachers Innovation Circle Grant and the 2023 WEA Human & Civil Rights Commission International Peace and Understanding Award.

I strongly believe in contributing to the educational community. I serve on Kennewick School District’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. I serve on the board of the Washington Science Teachers Association and am a part of the WEA NBCT Leadership Cadre. I am an AP Reader for College Board and belong to the National Council for the Advancement of Educator Ethics.

Teaching is not just a profession for me; it's an insatiable passion. My science teaching philosophy is based on this fundamental premise that all students can find ways to connect to their present needs and future aspirations to learning science. I constantly ask myself: When my students walk out of my classroom, will they be equipped to discover the beauty and wonders of science and appreciate the interconnectedness of life?