Hooked on School

Moore teacher selected as a finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching

By:Lindsay Cuomo

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister announced six finalists for the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). Among the six educators named was Keri Thompson, a kindergarten teacher at Byrant Elementary.

Jennifer Lowery, elementary mathematics and science coordinator for the Moore school district, nominated Thompson because she said she wanted to recognize the creative and engaging ways that Thompson incorporates science into her classroom.

“Ms. Thompson encourages her students to wonder about the world around them and then helps students find the answers to their questions,” Lowery said. “She makes science hands-on and memorable for students as well as teachers as she has provided several professional development sessions for teachers in Moore. She is a wonderful asset to Bryant Elementary and to Moore Public Schools.”

Thompson said she uses science as a tool to get her students excited about learning.

“Science is one of those things that keeps kids interested in school,” she explained. “In kindergarten, science is real life. They can apply the things we are learning and it gets them hooked on school.”

The academic demands inside a kindergarten classroom are surprisingly intense, Thompson admitted. However, she has designed her science lessons to be an integrated learning experience.

“Kindergarten is a whole different ballgame than it used to be,” she shared. “In kindergarten, we learn to read, write in full sentences, add and subtract. It’s a lot. Most kindergarten teachers probably don’t have a dedicated science time, but I feel it’s really important.

“We do experiments, investigations, engineering, fun, playful lessons that incorporate reading and writing.”

Thompson pointed out that play is a key to early childhood development.

“It is so important for people to realize the value of play and how play affects learning,” she said. “Children learn so much faster through play because it is meaningful and real to them. So many teachers feel the pressure to use worksheets, and worksheets have their place, but they are not the number one tool.”

For example, each year, students in Thompson’s class learn about plants and animals. They study different biomes and the plants and animals that live in each one.

“To integrate reading and writing, we research animals in the biome, and then afterward each kid draws one thing that is found in that biome. They write the sounds they hear, they best attempt to write those words and we put those together to make a classroom poster about that biome,” Thompson said, sharing an example of how she incorporates literacy skills.

Students also work towards creating a “mini zoo.” Keeping a research journal, they draw pictures and write fun facts to help them become a zookeeper.

“Normally, not in COVID times, we invite other classes and my kids get to be zookeepers and they get to talk about their animals,” she said.

Thompson agreed that teaching during the pandemic has added challenges.

“Trying to keep things feeling as normal as we can has been the greatest challenge,” she said. “We are having to wear masks and be careful about touching what others touch and that has been difficult. My classroom is pretty much all based on sharing but this year we can’t do that.”

But, Thompson said there have been positives too.

“I am loving the class sizes this year,” she said. “17 kids, the fewest ever, it makes a huge difference when it comes to getting to know each child. And the other thing that I really love is that families are spending more time together and investing in each other more. Kids are impacted greatly by the family that surrounds them.”

As a finalist, Thompson’s application will be reviewed by the National Science Foundation on behalf of the White House. One math teacher and one science teacher will be selected from each state and territory that applied.

“I felt so honored that our science coordinator nominated me, that she thought I would qualify,” Thompson said. “When I got the call that I was selected as a finalist, I actually I thought it was a spam call but something told me to answer. I was so surprised.” -19SM