Amy’s Story
Amy Speegle grew up in Falls Church, Virginia, and graduated from Haverford College with an honors BA in physics and a double minor in mathematics and astronomy. While at Haverford, she had the opportunity to present her research in nanoscale physics to the American Physical Society.
Amy was the only female physics major in her graduating class. “Teaching high school is my chance to show female students that it is okay to participate in a male-dominated field. The more women become interested in physics, the fewer departments there will be with just one female physics major.” Amy earned her MEd in secondary physics education from George Washington University.
Amy chose her current school because of its emphasis on collaboration: “I have come to appreciate the importance of not teaching in isolation from my experiences with KSTF, so when I found out that this school had a Professional Learning Community system, I was intrigued.” Amy brings relevant, global issues into her classroom. Her students build computer models of the climate in order to make predictions, and debate alternative energy sources based on scientific evidence. “I want all of my students to feel empowered by their knowledge of the physical world around them.”
Amy is her school’s physics curriculum team leader and has taught a graduate course in research at the George Washington University for science teachers from a neighboring county. She serves as George C. Marshall High School’s science department chair.