J.M. Pendred

Tell us why you became a teacher

I was inspired to become a science teacher when I was in 8th grade science and had the privilege of attending class in a room with a planetarium. I asked the teacher when I was able to take his class again in the future. Mr. Gary Stretavski, my former science teacher, stated that I would be able to take his Earth Science courses in high school. I mastered his instruction in the planetarium and earned high marks on all assignments and examinations. I became a science teacher in his honor.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

My most memorable teaching experience came from teaching internationally in Italy. I am not fluent in Italian. I was recruited after earning my Bachelor's degree in science education to work in the International School of Trieste. They are a diverse school, where Italian and English are tertiary languages. It was not classified a bilingual school. I was assigned to teaching elementary school computer studies and as a one-on-one paraeducator in life science. I loved every minute of my time there.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I am a doctoral candidate and am a graduate teaching assistant instructing university biology and ecology. My dissertation involves the design, implementation, and assessment of a low-tech/budget microplastic method of extraction and quantification of this emergent pollution along freshwater bodies. I would like to use this money as a grant to provide local high schools with the instruments I have created and ask the teachers to develop a design challenge to have students make their own device.