Wake science teacher lands fellowship

Durant Rd. teacher joins elite academy

In grade school, Samantha Carpenter always had science teachers who made learning about solids, liquids and the periodic table seem fun and interesting.

Carpenter, an eighth-grade science teacher at Durant Road Middle School, hopes to do the same for her students.

"So many kids feel it's beyond what they can do," said Carpenter, "but my teachers always made science real to me and I never felt it was something I couldn't do --even in AP chemistry."

Carpenter will have the extra support and resources to do so as one of the 2008 fellows of the National Science Teacher Academy. Carpenter is one of seven teachers in North Carolina accepted into the academy.

Courtney Titus, a physical science and anatomy teacher at Middle Creek High School in Apex, also was accepted into the academy with teachers in Durham and Chapel Hill.

More than 180 fellows were chosen nationwide.

Carpenter, 28, said she's excited about joining the science teacher academy.

"You have a million questions, and you can never have enough resources or support," said Carpenter, who's in her second year of teaching. "To know you have an even greater network is invaluable."

The yearlong academy provides new teachers such as Carpenter with support from veteran science teachers. It also opens the door to resources such as online mentoring, online development activities and Web seminars to help boost classroom activities.

In its second year, the National Science Teachers Association launched the academy to combat what the organization described as a high science teacher turnover rate and frequent teacher concerns about lack of support and professional development.

A 2000 national survey by the association found that more than 20 percent of the teachers surveyed had been assigned to teach subjects other than science. The survey also found that 37 percent of science teachers with four to six years of experience considered leaving the profession.

"We hope that the program will help the fellows address some of the issues they feel as new teachers, so they don't feel alone and they feel excited about teaching the next generation of scientists and engineers," said Kate Meyer, a spokeswoman for the teacher association.

As part of the federal No Child Left Behind law, states are required to test students in science. North Carolina tests fifth- and eighth-graders. But the tests are not part of the state's accountability program.

Students in Carpenter's class say she keeps science fun and exciting with various experiments. Word spread so quickly about an experiment where students dump Mentos candy into a bottle of Coca-Cola and watch it explode that students often ask Carpenter about it before they take her class.

"Mrs. Carpenter has made me enjoy science more because she teaches us everything we have to know by doing labs and fun things in the class," said student Carolyn Mealor, 13. "And we're actually learning even though it doesn't feel like it while we do the activity. But then we understand the topic a lot better."

Carpenter said creating positive experiences in the classroom is the key to exciting students about science.

"Science is one subject kids either love or hate, and there's no middle ground," she said. "But I want to give kids an experience that -- even if they don't become scientists -- they see the value and appreciate it."