The lessons one learns in the science classroom go beyond the subject area. Critical thinking, skepticism of information, using primary literature and evaluating a study’s legitimacy, all of these skills are needed for people to understand the rapidly evolving world in which we live. I believe a science teacher can instill in students these techniques for confronting and processing information.”
Katie’s Story
Teaching Discipline
Biology
Why Biology
“I believe biology is the most interesting, inspiring subject to teach high school students. Through biology, the study of life, students learn to observe and interpret the living system in which they have always lived in a new lens.”
Professional Experience
In college, Katie worked as a student tutor and teacher’s assistant at Smith College Campus School. There, she tutored students individually and in small groups.
As a summer intern, Katie worked as a carnivore keeper at the Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon. She also interned as a researcher with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), investigating the genes determining the sea food poisoning ability of different strains of the Vibrio parahaemolyticus bacteria.
In fall of her junior year, Katie studied abroad in Tanzania with the School for Field Studies (SFS). During this time, she conducted research on the interactions between livestock and elephants in a multi-use land area called Manyara Ranch. Also, during her study abroad, she served as chair of primary school volunteering at Ako Primary School in Rhotia, Tanzania. In this role, she organized of a volunteer group that visited the local elementary school and assisted in teaching English to third and fifth graders.
In spring of her senior year, Katie worked as a teacher’s assistant at Northampton High School in Northampton, Massachusetts, where she observed classroom management and teaching techniques, and supported students with differing needs and learning levels.
Katie graduated Smith College cum laude with highest honors in biology, and a minor in chemistry, after completing a senior thesis investigating the behavioral differences between ovulating and non ovulating rodents.
Katie will begin teaching at Summit Tamalpais Public School in San Pablo, California, during the 2018–2019 school year.
Hobbies
Katie enjoys spending time with her family, riding bikes, and eating frozen yogurt on warm summer evenings.
Academic Background
- Lewis & Clark Graduate School of Education and Counseling (Master of Arts in Teaching, Secondary Education, Biology)
- Smith College (Bachelor of Arts in Biological Sciences)