I think the role of a teacher is not just to help guide students to gain content knowledge, but also to help them to become problem solvers. Students need to gain critical thinking skills to help them be successful in life beyond school. Teachers should help prepare students for subsequent life. Teachers should also help students to become their best selves by instilling values of respect, kindness, honesty and integrity into their lives.”
Hannah’s Story
Teaching Discipline
Physics
Why Physics
“I believe that physics is often be viewed as difficult or boring. I want to help my students realize that physics, while challenging, is anything from boring. I hope to help students realize and understand that physics tries to describe how everything works, and how these concepts relate to their lives beyond the classroom.”
Professional Experience
Hannah participated in a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Haystack Observatory. Through the program, she identified and mapped 36 GHz methanol masers in star-forming regions.
In the two summers immediately following completion of her undergraduate degree, she worked at the Science Center of Iowa Summer Camp, where she developed and implemented hands-on science curriculum for campers in first through eighth grades. Additionally, Hannah taught physics and astronomy to students in grades four through eight at Astrocamp—an experiential, outdoor science camp—for two years.
Hobbies
Hannah enjoys fishing, kayaking, doing jigsaw puzzles, and baking.
Academic Background
- University of California, Santa Barbara (Master of Education in Secondary Science)
- Guilford College (Bachelor of Science in Physics)