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The Biden administration recently named an East Central Independent School District educator as one of the nation’s top science teachers.
On January 13, the White House announced that Fatimah Aboueisha had been selected for a Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.
The press release explained that the Presidential Award is “the highest honor that K-12 math and science teachers can receive from the U.S. government” and that the awards recognize the “vital role that America’s teachers and mentors play in training the next generation of technical leaders, including scientists.” , engineers, explorers and innovators. More than 300 educators from across the country were selected, including five from Texas.
Aboueisha said she was first nominated for the award in 2021, while teaching in a hybrid classroom, with some students attending in person and others online. She said she was asked to submit a video of herself teaching a science lesson and complete an in-depth application about her leadership and impact.
His application then went through several rounds of review by mathematicians, scientists and educators at the national and state levels before sending it to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy for a final decision.
“When I found out I was a state finalist, I didn’t believe it,” Aboueisha said. “I thought I was a good teacher, but that’s all I thought.”
“It’s been amazing and great to see that other people are recognizing the impact and that kids are actually learning,” she added, “because I’ve gotten messages from parents and things like that. So it was very enriching.
Aboueisha is now an associate dean at East Central High School, where she coaches teachers. She said her advice to science teachers is to start their lesson with a demonstration or real-life example that sparks children’s curiosity.
“A curious child will be a critical thinker. They will ask questions and want to know more,” Aboueisha said. “(In) one of the lessons I was talking about how atoms look like little people. They have their own personalities, and some of them want to bond with others – for good reason, though.
Aboueisha’s undergraduate degree is in molecular biology. She previously taught chemistry.
“Chemistry, in general, is considered a very difficult subject for some children,” Aboueisha said. “When you animate and bring science to life, children realize that…this is life. It’s what surrounds us. It’s not that difficult. Much of this might also be common sense.
Aboueisha said mentors have played a very important role in her career since she became a teacher 11 years ago, and now she is trying to fill that same role for beginning teachers at East Central.
“From the first year, I had a mentor, someone who gave me feedback all the time,” she said. “When I did something good, they said, ‘You’re doing great things.’ When I was struggling, they provided me with this feedback and were able to help me. So this is something that I think every teacher needs.