Autumn Palmer

Carthage, MO | 7-12, Science, 2021

What motivates you to contribute to excellence in STEM teaching?

I want to provide opportunities for my students to value their education. I have a strong sense of responsibility to show my students that science is for everyone. I love seeing students engaged in an area where they may not have always excelled. Many of my students come in thinking science is "too hard" and that "they can't do it", but I love to see their confidence grow as they find themselves not only learning chemistry, but doing chemistry. I am motivated when students become empowered.

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

I have had many moments that have affirmed my impact on STEM education. Receiving thank you letters from former students and having them come to speak to my classes have given me much validation. My first principal reached out to me and referred to me as a "master teacher". He went on to thank me for everything I had done for my students and stated that I "was one of, if not the best teachers he has witnessed. Parents of a former student recently gifted our district $25,000 to create a scholarship for a graduating senior majoring in science. They wanted to thank me for the impact that I had on their daughter who was a successful chemical engineer. The scholarship is called the Autumn Lawrence-Palmer Science scholarship.

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

Students need passionate educators and I hope to continue to serve as a mentor and a support system for those educators. I want to continue to promote inquiring based learning and make chemistry more tangible for all learners. I want to create opportunities that ignite curiosity not just for students, but for the educators I work with on the local, state and national levels. I want to continue to nurture a generation of thinkers who don't just learn science, but do science.

Biography

Autumn Palmer has been a 10th-12th grade chemistry teacher at Carthage High School for the past 26 years. As a certified enhancing Missouri's Instructional Networked Teaching Strategies (eMINTS)/Mathematics Engineering, Technology and Science (METS) instructor, Autumn has taught Honors, Advanced Placement, and Dual Credit Chemistry. She seeks new ways of engaging students and utilizes Virtual Reality technology to help them gain a deeper understanding into the world of chemistry. Autumn believes teaching within a laboratory setting empowers students in a way that some have never experienced. She assists with the school's Science Olympiad team and has coached the Stream Team, which was responsible for reporting their findings to the state Department of Natural Resources. Her students participate in the schoolwide murder mystery, for which she is the architect. By playing the role of forensic scientists, her students conduct toxicology and serology testing and work with students in other disciplines to help process a crime scene, analyze the evidence, make an arrest, and present their findings in front of a real judge. Autumn has presented at local, state, and national levels, including workshops such as “Mystery and Mayhem: An Interdisciplinary Activity and Making Learning come to Life with Augmented and Virtual Realities.” She loves learning from educators and hopes to continue to motivate teachers within the profession. Autumn has been recognized as a Regional Teacher of the Year for the state of Missouri and a Missouri State Teachers Association (MSTA) Southwest Region Secondary Educator of the Year. Autumn received a B.A. in chemistry from Missouri Southern State University and her M.S. in education with an emphasis in chemistry from Pittsburg State University.

High-resolution version of the teacher profile photograph

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