PAESTA Election 2015
PAESTA Officer Candidates
President-Elect
Dave Curry, Holland Middle School, Bucks County, PA
Dave’s Teaching Background
Dave Curry teaches 8th grade Earth/Space Science at Holland Middle School, Council Rock School District in Bucks County, PA; a community located in suburban Philadelphia. He also serves as the school’s PJAS/Intel science fair sponsor. Originally from the western part of the state, he grew up in Mount Lebanon just outside of Pittsburgh. Dave received his B.S. in Earth/Space Science Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) with a minor in Geology. He has a Master’s Degree in Environmental Education from Arcadia University. Some of his more interesting coursework included geology field excursions to study the morphology of the Northern Rockies as well as a trip to study the carbonate geology of Andros Island in the Bahamas. In his younger days he enjoyed kayaking on the whitewater sections of the lower Youghiogheny and spelunking deep in the self-exploration sections of Laurel Caverns. Dave has a deep love for Pennsylvania geology and shares that with his students. Prior to teaching at Holland Middle School, Dave garnered a decade of experience teaching Geology and Astronomy at Owen J. Roberts High School in Chester County, PA. During his 23-year tenure, Dave has mentored numerous student teachers and won thousands of dollars in grants and awards related to teaching Earth/Space Science. He has presented several times at the annual NSTA and PETE&C educational conferences. One of his proudest accomplishments was being selected as one of the only Pennsylvania teachers to receive equipment and training from IRIS’s Seismographs in Schools program (iris.edu). Dave’s Holland Middle School classroom seismograph has been recording seismic data nearly continuously since 2008 and picked up the major quakes in Haiti, Japan, and Chile, as well as both recent quakes in Nepal. Sometimes his students notice earthquakes before they even hit the national news. A snapshot seismic image from his school’s instrument is updated every ten minutes at this web address: http://geoserver.iris.edu/stations/view/HMPA. As evidenced, Dave values the natural connection between science and computer technology and utilizes it often to augment student learning.
Dave’s Personal Statement
“I would like to humbly earn your vote for the position of President-Elect of PAESTA through my decades of tireless support of Earth Sciences and Astronomy and my strong desire to make science exciting, real, and authentic to my students. PAESTA is a rich and valuable collaborative organization and I will work closely with the board of advisors and past/present officers to make it an even better resource for all science teachers in Pennsylvania.”
John F. 'Trey' Smith, Boys' Latin of Philadelphia Charter School, West Philadelphia, PA
John's Teaching Background
I am a secondary science teacher from Boys' Latin of Philadelphia Charter School in West Philadelphia. During my time at Boys' Latin, I worked to create an integrated biology and chemistry two year sequence of courses that include an emphasis on Earth science and environmental science principles. Previously I taught 7th and 8th grade science at Morrison Elementary with the School District of Philadelphia and taught Earth science as part of the SDP curriculum.
I am currently serving as an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow in Washington, DC, on Capitol Hill for the 2014-2015 school year. I am currently an adjunct instructor in the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education facilitating an advanced 7-12 science teaching methods courses in the TFA/GSE Urban Teacher Master's and Certification Program. As a teacher consultant with the Philadelphia Writing Project, I am on a collaborative project funded by the National Science Foundation with the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University to build an afterschool program that teaches about paleontology, biodiversity, and evolution through student-created games and visits to the museum.
For the 2015-2016 school year, I will partner with Boys' Latin teachers as a science teacher-in-residence at the Library of Congress to investigate the possibilities for incorporating primary historical documents into secondary science curricula. I believe this project might also be of interest to PAESTA teachers. I would like to brainstorm ways to connect the resources I find to teachers across the state.
John's Personal Statement
PAESTA encourages educator development by connecting like-minded peers with one another and with learning resources and promotes advocacy for Earth science beyond the classroom. Earth science provides important contexts for learning the other scientific disciplines (life science and physical science) as well as engineering and technology principles. Furthermore, Earth science offers opportunities for students to engage in problem-based learning that situates abstract ideas in relevant and meaningful contexts outside of school. The greatest global challenges our society must address--global climate change, environmental degradation and resilience, energy issues--are firmly rooted in Earth science and require thorough understanding of Earth's systems. My perspective on Earth science influences my curricular decisions in teaching high school biology and chemistry. These beliefs about connectedness and context drive not only the teaching decisions I make but also my actions as an educator engaged in public discourse about education. While I have worked diligently as a classroom teacher to encourage and ensure student success, I also acknowledge the role that educators can (and should) play in enacting social and political change to ensure that all students from all communities have equal access to an excellent education. I believe that I must be a role model for my students, demonstrating that learning and knowledge, while important in and of themselves, are prerequisites for enacting positive change in one’s community. Prior to serving as a Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow for the 2014-15 school year on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, I taught I students at Boys' Latin of Philadelphia Charter School in West Philadelphia and at Morrison Elementary in North Philadelphia. I also serve as a teacher consultant with the Philadelphia Writing Project and as an adjunct instructor in the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education facilitating an advanced 7-12 science teaching methods courses in the Urban Teacher Master's and Certification Program.
Galen Kreiser, 21st Century Cyber Charter School, Downingtown, PA
Galen's Teaching Background
B.S. Ed. from Shippensburg University in 1993.
Taught science for Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland and for the Kirov Academy of Ballet in DC then worked at a non-profit doing school reform before returning to PA. I am currently teaching science at 21st Century Cyber Charter School where I teach Earth & space, physical and environmental science.
Galen's Personal Statement
I see two main purposes for PAESTA. First, PDE needs to hear from us, and ALL teachers’ organizations. We need to be a clear voice that lets PDE know what we need from them. It’s my belief that they should be trying to make our jobs easier rather than the other way around. Second, PAESTA should maintain a cutting-edge repository for Earth science teaching resources for all members to access.
Toba Bernstein, FDR Middle School, Bristol, PA
Toba's Teaching Background
After an early career working with at-risk youth and a few years as a stay-at-home mom, I started teaching middle school science in 2001. In January 2004 I started teaching 8th grade Earth Science and felt like I had come home to my roots. I completed my MS in Geoscience through Mississippi State in 2008 and was promptly exiled to high school, non-Earth Science courses for three years. When PAESTA formed in 2010, I jumped at the chance to join. I found my way back to middle school and Earth Science in the fall of 2011.
Toba's Personal Statement
PAESTA has offered me and many others a community of like-minded educators to turn to when Earth Science gets pushed into the corner. We all know that the next generation will face many challenges that require an understanding of our Earth; we just need help convincing others of the importance of Earth Science Literacy. I want PAESTA to continue to grow and to find meaningful ways to support Earth Science teaching throughout Pennsylvania. It is time for me to give more back to PAESTA, and I would be grateful for the opportunity to serve all PAESTA members as President-Elect.
Secretary/Treasurer
Deanna Fogelman, Davis School, York, PA
Deanna's Personal Statement
"I have been an urban, highly qualified teacher for The School District of the City of York since 1999. I usually teach an all inclusive classroom. I have taught grades 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Classrooms have varied from a multi-age classroom where I taught grades 2-6 all in one room of gifted students to heterogenous groupings of ELL, Special Education, Gifted, and Average students all in one classroom. The biggest challenges teaching in my district are high level of economically disadvantaged, high groups of special education/ELL students, and not enough supplies that were not paid for out of my own pocket. I know what I want to see happening in my classroom, but have my hands bound due to financial restrictions, constant curriculum alignment/revamping, and the threat of losing my job to invading charters. As a teacher, I know I am meant to teach where I am at. I know this is my desire, purpose, and passion. I just feel that administration or pde want to put me in a cookie cut mold in order to get the students to pass a state test instead of helping them explore and create that intrinsic love of knowledge.I keep taking courses to foster the love of learning I have as well as find more strategies to help my students while fulfilling adminstration's expectations and standards. "
