The teaching experience is challenging and frightening sometimes, but when things go right, it’s all worth it.”
Kate’s Story
Kate Blaske graduated from Purdue University with a BS in chemistry and a master’s degree in chemical education. Planning to become a research chemist, she worked for S.C. Johnson and Sons, and Cargill, Inc. During her final years of college, she discovered she enjoyed teaching and tutoring. From teaching college chemistry labs and student teaching in rural Indiana, to a position at a large suburban high school, she has taught in many different situations.
Kate has been teaching at Avon High School since 2006. She enjoys seeing how her students relate to their changing community and bring new viewpoints into her classroom. At Avon High School (AHS), she has worked with her colleagues to create a new integrated chemistry and physics curriculum that helps students relate science to their lives. Since 2008, Kate has been working with Purdue University researchers on adapting a college curriculum to help expose high school students to authentic science research. She has conducted research in her own classroom to determine the effectiveness of that curriculum. She has also worked with the school and the community on recycling programs and on getting her school to lessen its energy uses and build solar panels for more sustainable power.
In her spare time, Kate enjoys creating softer, wearable objects: “When I’m not studying standards or playing mad scientist in the lab, my life’s passion is knitting.”
