Dear ReaderMy name is Stephen Stauffer and I am a high school chemistry teacher. I originally received my undergraduate degree in Chemistry from the University at Buffalo in Buffalo, NY and was immediately accepted into a Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship after graduating. The program I entered into focused on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields, taking experienced persons from each and transitioning them into highly qualified teachers. I received the fellowship at Michigan State University which took 13 STEM fellows in 2011 and guided us through an alternative route to certification. Through this I received my initial certification at Michigan State University in 2012 and now after a year of teaching and this two year rigorous program I am hoping to prove the leaps and bounds I have made as an educator.
I teach at Detroit Community High School which is a high needs, urban charter school located in Brightmoor, Detroit. The population contains 88% students eligible for free lunch and an additional 3% eligible for reduced lunch making it possible for school wide Title 1 funding for certain programs. The demographics are 98% African America, 1% Hispanic, and 1% White. The school was designed so that teachers of specific grade levels shared similar prep hours, allowing them to meet during the school day as needed. The science department consists of a physical science teacher (9th grade – first year teacher), a biology teacher (10th grade – third year teacher), and myself as the chemistry teacher (11th grade – first year teacher). We have no veteran science teacher in the building but often seek the guidance of the math teacher that has been at DCHS for over seven years. I’m responsible for 5 periods of 11th grade chemistry, the last of which is an honors class. The students in previous years have not had consistent science instruction, and while I only teach 110 students many of them know little to nothing of either biology or physical science (due to a high teacher turnover rate and an inability to fill positions.). In the 2010-2011 year, DCHS replaced 75% of their teachers to align themselves with a strong mission to raise standardized test scores and increase the rigor found in the classrooms. There is no specific curriculum but they encourage following the pacing chart provide by Wayne RESA and so I have been given a lot of freedom to craft a curriculum to meet the specific needs of these students. Coupled with lack of background knowledge I feel the biggest struggle I faced in the classroom was truancy. With a lack of time in the classroom (both past and present) students often found themselves struggling through the coursework. I love getting to new subjects where students are visibly seen constructing new knowledge right before my eyes. It is a wonderful feeling being able to end the day knowing you’ve added something to the lives of others. This year I have had a lot of “ah ha” moments with my students as they were learning many science concepts for the first time. It was wonderful! |
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