♥🦓Why Wednesday - Meranda Golbek
This is Meranda Golbek; she teaches science at CHS and is also Chemistry Club Sponsor. She has been teaching for a total of 4 years, all here at Claremore Public Schools. She knew early on in her life she wanted to invest in others, but originally thought that would be in the medical field. She took some time in between medical school applications and stepped into the classroom, which changed the trajectory of her life. She instantly fell in love with teaching and getting the opportunity to foster young minds. Now she “can't imagine myself ever doing anything else besides being in the world of education at my alma mater, Claremore High School.”
❓♥Why Statement:
“Why do I teach? The simple answer is the kids, but it stems deeper than that. I teach because science is my passion, and helping others is my goal. Many people think of science as a cool but scary subject that is hard to understand, but my hope is to show students that science is fun, exciting, and necessary for the understanding of everything around us.
I love showing kids that science isn't as hard as they believe and is an essential part of our daily lives. Every day science is changing around us, and as a society, we need to understand how to take complex information and break it down into concepts we can understand and comprehend. My hope is that students walk out of my classroom aware of the beauty of science and equipped to use their critical thinking skills to be scientifically literate individuals.
"Treat people the way you want to be treated" is a mantra I try to live and teach by. Beyond being a science teacher, I feel my job is to teach my students to be good human beings who feel seen, understood, and respected. Throughout my life, I have been able to share my mother with hundreds of students who have had the privilege of having her as a teacher. I have consistently been able to see her giving heart and enthusiasm for her students, their lives, and their learning. My mom has always reminded me in my teaching career that students want to know that you care. I try to channel my mother's kindness and passion daily as I approach each student and situation. I want to ensure that my students know that I care not only about their learning but about them as people.”
❗A-ha Moment:
Many peoples' teaching stories might relate to a moment in the classroom when a student themselves had an aha moment that solidified their career as an educator. My moment was during the pandemic through a computer screen. At CHS, we have the ZAP program, where a teacher is assigned a group of students who will be with them through graduation. In this program, teachers assist students with college and career planning, goal setting, life skills, and enrollment. During the pandemic, the yearly enrollment meetings were pushed to an online setting, and I was afraid that this unique experience of connecting with the families and students would be gone.
Luckily, I was very wrong. This was a moment when all parties involved could connect, even for just a few minutes. The relationships I had created with these students in the short 3/4 of a year that I had been at CHS made every online video, zoom call, and virtual assignment worth it. I was excited to see those students and begin planning for a future that, at the time, was very unsteady. Over the next four years, we grew, laughed, cried, and celebrated together. They encouraged me just as much as I encouraged them. Watching my first ZAP group walk across the stage to graduate this last May was a full circle moment that just reiterated my reasoning for being an educator.”
#CPSZEBRAPRIDE