Cathy Barthelemy

Southlake, TX | K-6, Science, 1999

What motivates you to contribute to excellence in STEM teaching?

STEM education is an inclusive pedagogy that encourages critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, and meaning making. These skills are important to students for their future endeavors. By providing educators with rich experiences in STEM professional development, I feel that I am creating opportunities for students and teachers alike to grow.

What has been the most transformative moment that affirmed your impact on STEM education?

There have been many transformative moments that affirmed the impact of STEM for me. The most impactful experiences have come when I have observed the excitement of a teacher and his//her students uncover a new understanding and celebrating the discovery.

Using your platform as a Presidential Awardee, how do you hope to advance our nation in STEM?

As an Awardee, I have had many opportunities to share my knowledge and mentor educators. Advancing STEM education by providing professional development to educators, helping schools and educators with strategic planning, and creating a network of educators is at the forefront of how I hope to advance STEM education across the nation.

Biography

My degree is in Human Sciences, Child Development with graduate school teaching certification in Elementary Education. In my district I piloted the first Science Enrichment Lab for all grade levels and students in the school. I was also the Elementary Science Facilitator for the district, working with all science teachers, elementary, intermediate, middle, and high to ensure vertically aligned curriculum for our students. Leaving the classroom was a very hard decision, however I was given the opportunity to become Executive Director of Education for the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. At the Museum, I had over site of the Texas Center for Inquiry, a professional development opportunity for educators to grow in their knowledge of inquiry based education. I also developed a week long STEM Academy for educators that also incorporated a STEM Camp for Kids. This model allowed educators to try out STEM with students before getting back to the classroom. I also had the privilege of being an Einstein Fellow, spending a year in Washington DC. The fellowship was a meaningful and educational experience, one that helped shape my future in education.

The views expressed in awardee profiles are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of NSF or the PAEMST program.