Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Ivins is top science teacher

Julie Carter jcarter@ruidosonews.com
Posted: 03/23/2010 07:06:24 PM MDT

Ten teachers from across the United States were named for their unique plan to reach students in underserved communities and to inspire excellence in independent scientific research.
Carrizozo's Science instructor Ashley Ivins was named as one of those top 10 teachers.
Society for Science & the Public (SSP) announced their selection of the second class of the SSP Fellows Program earlier this month.
"I got an email from Mary Jo Daniel at the Public Education Department Math and Science Bureau that encouraged teachers to apply," said Ivins. "New Mexico was represented by a teacher last year from Carlsbad that was selected and I remembered reading about him (Raymond Nance) on the Public Education Department Web site and what a great program he was able to build. I didn't think I would actually be selected but I thought I'd give it a shot."
Competitively selected from a large entrant pool of high school science and math teachers from 46 states and two U.S. territories, each Fellow will receive: (1) $8,500 in 2010 directly for their classroom and community; (2) full support to attend the Fellows Institute to be held July 26-30, 2010, in Washington, DC; and (3) ongoing training and resources from SSP.
"A big part of this award is mentorship," Ivins said in explaining the the monetary award and it's intended use.
"Carrizozo has a wealth of community members who are very talented and willing to work with kids. Each and every time that I've asked for help
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and support they have reached out and supported our program.
"I'd like to create a more formal program of mentorship to get the community involved to help kids do research, real research that can make a difference in our community.
"One of the goals in this program is to teach students that they can make a difference, the great thing about being a scientist is that it doesn't always require formal training, just a sense of wonder and a little guidance."
The 2010 class of Fellows includes teachers selected are: Ashley A. Ivins, Carrizozo Municipal Schools, Carrizozo, Marie A. Aloia, Bayonne High School, Bayonne, N.J.; Anne Artz, The Preuss School UCSD, La Jolla, Calif.; Sydney Bergman, School Without Walls, Washington D.C.; Kathleen Dwyer, Maplewood Rich-mond Heights High School, Maplewood, Mo.; Randa Flinn, Northeast High School, Oakland Park, Fla.; Richard Anthony Fox, Charlestown High School, Charlestown, Mass.; Michael Lampert, West Salem High School, Salem, Ore.; Tim B. Lundt, Mat-Su Career & Technical High School, Wasilla, Alaska; Melanie Schwarzbach, Box Elder High School, Box Elder, Mont.
"Education has been and is the highest priority of my administration," said Governor Bill Richardson. "I know that great teachers are at the heart of a great education system. I congratulate Ashely Ivins who has proven that she is not only a great teacher here in New Mexico, but that she is one of the great teachers in the country. New Mexico is proud of all that she has accomplished as an outstanding science teacher and I know that she will use this award to continue to inspire students for years to come."
Through a generous grant from Intel Corporation, the SSP Fellows Program provides funds and training to selected U.S. science and math teachers who serve under-resourced students, to enable interested and motivated students to perform high-quality, independent scientific research.
Married and a mother of a daughter and a son, Ivins is a 1999 Capitan High School graduate.
She earned her Bachelor of Science in Agriculture Education from Eastern New Mexico University in 2002 and a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction with an Emphasis on Distance Learning and Technology from New Mexico State University in 2004.
She is currently continuing her education as a student at NMSU, New Mexico Tech and ENMU.
"One of the things that I think made my application stand out is the fact that ever since I began teaching six years ago, I've been in the constant pursuit of increasing my knowledge and expertise," Ivins said. "I've taken advantage of all the training and experience that has been available to me and really made sure to internalize everything that I've learned. My teaching style now is very different than when I started and my vision for the future of education is not traditional.
"I really work hard to make my classroom 'lecture-free' and experience-based. I love pushing kids to think outside the box, giving them scenarios and making them think, getting them outside the classroom and into the field.
"I also believe it is important for students to be able to write about what they learn and be able to apply mathematics. It hasn't always been (and it is still not) easy to convince others that teaching and learning is different now than when I was a student even.
"It's also not easy to convince students who are accustomed to traditional teaching that they can have fun when they are learning.
"It's also hard to push them to think but it's something we are making great progress at though. I've been able to keep doing what I love and helping kids learn despite it sometimes being an uphill battle."
"I'm still shocked at being chosen for such an honor," Ivins said.
"I see this as an opportunity for my greatest challenge to design a way for this program to be really pivotal for our students and community and doing something positive."