Maria Brings STEM to Life for Her Students

The sun rises on another school day at Rose Hill-Magnolia Elementary School in Duplin County, North Carolina, and Maria Johnson, a 6th grade teacher, leads her students to the most anticipated course of the week – science with the Young Scientist Academy (YSA). 

Maria has always been a strong proponent of hands-on learning. She began her unconventional teaching journey in 2000 when she filled a need in her community. Many students in Duplin County primarily speak Spanish, and they sometimes do not have access to high quality ESL (English as a Second Language) courses, which provide a gateway into understanding all other classes offered at their school. Limited access to ESL is detrimental to a student’s overall ability to learn because students can’t learn if they don’t understand the language that they’re being taught in. Seeing that Maria could cross the language barrier, Duplin County recruited her as an ESL teacher. She equipped students with the skills that they needed to navigate an English-dominated educational journey. Maria also formed impactful relationships with these students, which prompted her to continue along her primary education career path.​

After thirteen years in the field, Maria ventured into other subjects such as math, and just this past year, she was tasked with a new challenge – teaching science. While math and science may seem like similar subjects, it can be difficult for an educator to learn an entirely different curriculum. To heighten the difficulty, the NC Curriculum Standards also updated this past year to involve more hands-on learning. The new subject combined with updated curriculum standards presented Maria with a unique challenge. Luckily, she had help.

YSA had recently launched Teach STEM, a mentorship program dedicated to equipping teachers with the knowledge, skills, and resources needed to implement hands-on, high-impact STEM lessons. Maria was one of the first participants. In addition to accessing lessons tailored to the updated NC Curriculum Standards, Maria also received weekly mentorship in the classroom with her students. At first, YSA staff led the lessons to demonstrate how to execute the “YSA Way”, and then Maria gradually took the reins. She saw a dramatic shift in her students. They were able to understand theoretical concepts much more easily because the YSA programs provided students with a tangible experience that they could connect with those concepts. The YSA programs made other science lessons more meaningful and memorable. Maria even saw an increase in attendance on Mondays because the students looked forward to YSA.

"I can't miss today! It's YSA!" 
- Maria's students

The weekly YSA program became the most anticipated event of the week. The students were so enthusiastic about attending, Maria used YSA as an incentive for good behavior, and it worked. Students who exhibited behavioral issues in the past were practicing more self-control so that they could attend the YSA science lessons. High-performing students also sought YSA as a respite from their other classes. The pressure to succeed in their academic journey can be overwhelming for some students. They are expected to churn out A’s and perfect marks - but not at YSA. During the YSA programs, they are given the freedom to create their own hypothesis, test it, fail, and try again until they find the answer. They have the freedom to be wrong, learn from it, and try again. That is a huge relief to students who feel enormous pressure to always present perfection.

"YSA gives students the chance to feel like they're not a failure."
​- Maria

Maria is hopeful that YSA can expand to other grades within Rose Hill-Magnolia and even across Duplin County. She attests that YSA programs are providing a strong base for students to progress through their educational journeys. The programs are creating meaningful memories for students to reference as they learn additional vocabulary in subsequent years. Maria also reflects on how she’s grown as an educator through Teach STEM, and she has learned new ways of approaching curriculum. She has also embraced a level of, as she puts it, “constructive chaos” that gives space for students to problem solve and critically think.