Science on our Pre-Service Minds

UPDATE: Our project has ended on this platform, but to make a donation to our trip, you can visit https://saufoundation.org/make-a-gift/. In the notes, just add "Science to our Pre-Service Minds."

Who are we?

Sarah, Evelyn and I (Jasmine) are seniors and preservice teachers from SAU. Sarah and I will be certified to teach Kindergarten through 6th grade. Evelyn will be certified to teach Middle school math and science. We are so excited to graduate and do what we love: TEACH STUDENTS! Over the past 123 (credit) hours of being trained at SAU, we have been preparing and learning all that we can to provide the best learning experiences and education for our future students. For us, it’s all about the students and how we can positively impact their lives with our teaching and train them to be lifelong learners and innovative thinkers. I hope you will feel led to donate towards our trip with our professor. Investing in us will be an investment for our future students.

Why is it important that we go?

Long story short, this unique opportunity was made available to us after meeting Mr. Rick Bounds, Assistant Executive Director Strategic Initiatives, who expressed an interest in gaining preservice teacher involvement in the professional NSTA (National Science Teachers Association) organization. Mr. Bounds personally invited us to the National Conference in Atlanta and made the offer to cover our registration expense for the conference. We preservice teachers will be assisting our professor (Dr. Angela Stanford) who will be presenting a session based on her publication in Science & Children, a professional magazine for educators. We will also be attending other STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics)-centered presentations in order to enhance our teaching practice. We’re not just thinking about how the sessions at the NSTA conference will help us become more effective teachers in the realm of STEM. We’re thinking about the impact this will make, along with the resources and meaningful learning experiences this will provide for our future students! Please think about donating. Any amount will help!

How will trip impact us?

Again, as teachers we want to provide the best learning opportunities for our students and train them to become lifelong learners and innovative thinkers. At the National NSTA Conference in Atlanta there will be over 1,200 sessions to attend, over 350 exhibitions with cutting-edge resources, and over 10, 000 educators in attendance. Attending this conference will give us the opportunity as preservice teachers to expand our knowledge of applying and teaching STEM in our classrooms, and also gain resources that our future students will benefit from. Just like the last NSTA conference we attended, we will be able to meet and network with other educators and education associations from different parts of the United States. Attending this conference will be an investment in our future careers as educators and an investment in the future students we will teach. We hope that after learning a little bit about us and this trip, that you will want to donate! We thank you in advance for your help!

How can you help?

Donate! Donate! Donate! Every penny counts! All you need to do is click the “Make a Gift” button on the top. You can also make a gift by clicking on any of the designated giving levels located on the right of the screen. In addition to your financial contribution, we need your help sharing our cause! Please consider sharing this page on social media or by email to your friends, family, co-workers, and others. You can even challenge them to match your gift. Thank you!