How did you connect with Beyond Benign?
For many years, I have focused on incorporating sustainable practices into my classroom as well as providing learning opportunities that encourage my student learners to become excited and invested in sustainability. I was formally introduced to green chemistry and Beyond Benign during the summer of 2020, when I participated in the Intro Green Chemistry online course.
What first drew you into teaching and science education?
I have the best career in the world, I am a science teacher. Discovering how to help kids make meaning and connections in science, both in and out of the classroom, and use these understandings to take charge and direct their learning is my passion. I challenge all of my students to become inspired learners who think critically, ask questions, seek out and create solutions and ultimately discover that science is integral to their understandings of the world and inspired learning is critical to their successful futures.
What excites you most about teaching green chemistry?
Green chemistry is about systems thinking at its core and provides opportunities to define a problem and then create solutions to solve the problem that are both sustainable and environmentally conscious. In other words, invention, design, and innovation are critical components of green chemistry. This directly aligns with my overarching goal for my student learners; to build the confidence and capacity in student learners to apply their scientific understandings to address problems that they see and become empowered to develop and create sustainable and applicable solutions.