Nicole teaches 7th and 8th grade science. “I've wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember. It was even what I wrote on my first grade ‘All About Me Poster’ and declared my desire to be a teacher,” chuckles Nicole.
Clearly, Nicole loves kids. She started off working at a daycare, then taught kindergarten and 4th grade before becoming a middle school science teacher. “As a science teacher, I want to encourage and foster growth in kids. I became a science teacher to help educate the future decision makers and leaders of the world,” said Nicole. ‘I want my students to go into the world equipped with the tools and ability to access and address future challenges especially where climate crisis management is concerned”.
We met Nicole at the National Science Teachers Association conference in Philadelphia last March. Nicole found Shape of Life through one of our online lesson plans. Her students watched sea anemones fight as part of their structure and function lesson. “Since that time, my students have explored many parts of the site and always find new facts about organisms they've never heard before,” shared Nicole.
Nicole teaches about Climate Change in her classroom every day. Her students are often able to make connections between their changing weather systems and the climate crisis. “In our area, storms often cause large power outages. The impact on our daily classroom learning illustrates the issue. Helping students understand that weather will become more severe makes Climate Change very real to them.”
One of Nicole’s favorite ways of teaching the climate crisis is when she teaches about animal variations, mutations, and adaptations. After her students learn about genetic changes affecting physical traits and the impact on survival, students watch clips from Life in Color with David Attenborough.
“Episodes highlight how changing weather patterns as a result of climate dramatically effect animal adaptation and survival. Climate impacts on animals really hits students.”
Nicole continually develops and improves her ability to teach climate change. Recently, Nicole attended a Teaching Climate Change workshop at Rutgers University.
Challenges & Rewards
“Students at this age have plenty of unpredictable behavior, and the demands of state testing and data collection can take up a lot of my time. However, the rewards far outweigh those challenges for me. Seeing students engage in hands-on experiences, make connections to the world around them, and explore the natural world in and out of my classroom gives me great joy.
Favorite Creature?
I think frogs have become one of my favorite creatures. I love hearing the spring peepers and being out on the river and hearing the deep thump of a bullfrog, and the surprise when one jumps off a log that you didn't even know was there. I love finding tree frogs hidden up under a picnic table outside of my classroom. They're all beautiful and kids always enjoy seeing and learning about them.
Nicole’s students benefit greatly from her love and connection to the natural world.
Links to Nicole’s social media: Facebook, Instagram and TikTok
