Growth Through Creativity

Learning science, or any subject for that matter, sometimes loses sight of why we teach it in the first place. We teach so that our society becomes well informed and aware of how the world really works, knowing that everything around us is connected, and that there are so many benefits to being able to design a society that supports all.

The PROCESS is just as important as the content

In order to be up for the task, students must start to learn how to help themselves, become problem solvers, and learn that failure is one step closer to success. This can only come when students are given room to think freely, in a safe environment where there is not always a wrong or right.

As far as science, it needs to be presented as investigations that are broken down so that students feel like there are attainable answers. One answer leads to questions, which leads to more answers. The culmination of these thought processes can then lead to innovative, complex answers!

My goal is to turn “science” into a verb, where learning is about doing, and the doing is about tapping into the element of…

CREATIVITY.

How will I Continue to Grow as a Teacher?

  • Every year I cannot help but revamp my curriculum, introducing new ways of teaching and removing those that did not serve the classroom well. Classroom management is a very high priority in order to do the kind of science teaching I prefer, so this is one may area that I will be constantly researching and following in the education field.

    Sometimes that means streamlining and creating repetitive routines, or perhaps it means to be on the constant look-out for even more engaging “hooks” that the students will feel is relevant.

    In order to measure this progression, I will keep logs of my lower 30% of classes on rates of completion of work, how they fared, and observe how their behavior is during the change. Did they engage more without constant reminders and prodding? Did they have higher completion rates?

    • Read daily science news and look for articles that enhance student’s interest on subjects.

    • Continue to follow educators, take their PD’s, and share what I have learned with my PLC.

    • Stay connected with science teachers on forums and PDs where we have shared ideas. Some of the best resources that I have had are from people who were just telling a story about their class and how they handled an issue that I am dealing with myself!

  • What keeps me engaged is not only learning about new technologies and new discoveries, but I love talking with other educators who are like minded. I have already found several that I follow, and those educators have led me to other new sources and venues.

  • For the newest of teachers, do not feel like you have to get it all right the first time. Be forgiving of yourself when things did not go how you planned, and learn how to be able pivot and be flexible at a moment’s notice.

    Also, do no forget to take care of yourself and your family. They come first and you should never feel guilty for that!

My Growth in the
CSTP Self-Assessment

What educational Leaders are saying:

  • Angela Vanhorn

    Academic Coach

    “Sheryll is intentional about emphasizing literacy strategies such as claim-evidence-reasoning writing practice. She carefully breaks down the NGSS standards to craft well-written, standards-aligned objectives for her daily lessons. She also carries a great deal of empathy for her students, making sure to meet them where they are academically and thoughtfully scaffolding assignments so that they feel capable of meeting rigorous objectives. Sheryll consistently makes sure to bring the science content to life using demonstrations and hands-on labs, which her students find engaging but are also carefully planned to ensure aligned content and skills practice.“

  • Kanjana Bell

    EdTech/STEM ToSA - Educational Services

    “Sheryll is a highly motivated, organized, and innovative educator who is always seeking to improve her teaching methods. She is proactive when it comes to developing her own expertise within the profession and seeks out opportunities to collaborate and learn from colleagues across the district. This year she participated in a cohort of teachers who explored opportunities to implement computer science into their classrooms. Mrs. Hahn was an enthusiastic participant who contributed to the teams’ learning by sharing her own professional and personal experiences with computer science implementation; and, she took the initiative to immediately embed what she learned into her STEM and advisory classes.”

  • Joan Kevorkian

    WCMS Principal

    “Working with an ethnically and socioeconomically diverse (and often challenging) population, Sheryll has maintained high expectations for all students and adapted her classroom management and instructional modalities to meet their abilities in coordination with the Academic Coach and admin. Responding positively to this mentoring, Sheryll has made great strides with her classroom management skills and has created highly engaging hands-on lessons. She has planned and organized multiple science-based field trips around the county to deepen her students’ learning.”