Teaching, the honor of a lifetime: two Wyoming PAEMST award finalists reflect

Yahoo

24-04-2025

CHEYENNE — Educators rarely get into teaching for the awards. If anything, they teach and hope that their students are rewarded for their successes and let that speak for their teaching methods.
The Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) challenges nominated educators across the country to reflect on their own values in the classroom, looking beyond the students.
These awards are bestowed by the U.S. government to K-12 STEM teachers annually, with up to two per state being recognized by the White House.
This year, following a lengthy application process, Central High School mathematics teacher Julie Grant and East High School science teacher Jennifer Merriam have made it to the state finalist level for the PAEMST. Now both women are eligible to be recognized nationally.
The Laramie County School District 1 Board of Trustees recognized both women for their achievements Monday, as the district has two of the four state finalists being considered for the national awards.
'What really is important, I think, in this community is that we, as educators, are giving back to the community in so many different ways, and that is what Julie does,' Central Principal Karen Delbridge said. 'Day-to-day with our kids she puts her heart out there for every single kid, she mentors teachers along the way, and she just shows us what it means to be a true professional.'
Merriam was recognized for her equivalent accomplishment in science education.
'I could go on and on and on about Jennifer's contributions to East High School and what she does day in and day out to support science education at East High School,' East Principal Marc Kerschner said. 'But I think it's important to note that she played a really big role in bringing concurrent enrollment college classes to East High School, and that students will benefit from that now and for years into the future. I can't say enough about Jennifer.'
Julie Grant
Though her career officially started 35 years ago, Grant said teaching is who she is.
'I became a teacher in my basement at age 7, when we were playing school downstairs,' Grant said.
That childhood passion never left her. Throughout her career, she has had several opportunities to reflect on what makes her a good teacher, but she said it was difficult for her to focus her application on her own achievements when she's always been student-focused.
'Teaching is really hard work, but it is amazingly rewarding,' Grant said. 'And so it has been the honor of my life to impact students, to watch them grow, to see them go on and do great things, no matter what avenue they choose.'
Grant's student focus is a part of what makes her a great teacher. Another strength of hers is her mentorship of her peers.
'I think what I learned is how my role has changed,' Grant said. 'I've really gone from being the one that's really learning new strategies to being more of a mentor in my department and one of the representatives in my department.'
It's not just the students that Grant has learned from, it's her colleagues, as well, she said.
Grant noted that even though she has gained 'old-timer' status, she still finds herself constantly learning from the younger generation of teachers. They have taught her about using new digital tools to enhance her classroom.
'I think one of the things that I learned about myself is that I'm really open to doing that,' Grant said. 'I'm not closed-minded to think that I cannot learn from the younger people. I have great relationships with those in my department, and that's why I can continue to grow.'
She and her team also are big proponents of literacy strategies within mathematics, which she says has helped her students become strong and successful.
'Research shows that literacy is what helps students to master and retain content,' Grant said. 'The more that students are reading, writing, listening and speaking about their math, the better retention they're going to have.'
Grant is the only math finalist in the state. Even so, she is not guaranteed national recognition. Her application still has to be reviewed and meet national standards to be recognized.
Regardless of the outcome, Grant said she was just grateful to be recognized.
'Teaching is not a job, it is who I am,' Grant said. 'I can't turn it on and turn it off, it is just who I am. I am so thankful for the opportunities that Cheyenne has given to me, to my family.'
Jennifer Merriam
Merriam echoed the difficulty in focusing on her own accomplishments, as opposed to the accomplishments of her many students.
She applied a few years ago after being nominated for the process, but didn't put in the same effort that she did this time around. She was encouraged to apply this year, and after three months of painstaking attention to detail, Merriam turned in an award-winning example of her teaching efforts.
'I put a lot of time and reflection into the application this time, and that was great,' Merriam said. 'I was just encouraged by so many people. And I think it is one of those things where, when you do that, you learn so much from the process.'
In her 23 years of teaching, Merriam has become known for her constant work to improve her curriculum with student success in mind.
'She is such an amazing educator,' Merriam's colleague Michelle Upton said. 'She constantly is trying to reevaluate lessons and how they affect student learning.'
Upton added that Merriam is skilled in giving students feedback that pushes them to learn without diminishing their confidence.
'It actually can be a really tricky thing to do,' Upton said. 'Kids sometimes can feel defeated if they're missing something or another, but she has a really great way of just presenting that to them, to help them to continue to strive to reach (goals) without feeling disheartened about it.'
Merriam has also worked on developing new curricula and assessments at the school, district and state levels. This includes two high-quality chemistry performance assessments she helped develop through the governor's Reimagining and Innovating the Delivery of Education (RIDE) initiative.
Merriam had to choose one lesson to record and reflect on for her application. She chose a chemistry lesson in which students inquired about how reactive different metals are.
'We all kind of have this idea that if we just mix chemicals together, something's going to happen, and that's not actually true,' Merriam explained.
The lesson challenges kids to systematically evaluate reactions and gives them the hands-on experience that Merriam believes helps them learn.
'This really exemplifies kind of how I think about science, in general. You have to do it in order to learn it,' Merriam said. 'For me, it's really key to get kids into the laboratory so that they can experience what they're learning about and interact with the ideas and explore.'
This method has also helped students realize how many real-world applications their passion for science has; whether it's working in food sciences, agriculture, or oil and gas, there's a need for professionals trained in science everywhere.
'A lot of what we do actually is to make the world a better place,' Merriam said.
Merriam said sometimes students just need to know that a science-related career is an option.
'Even just thinking about, 'How can I use what I've learned in science, whether or not I'm going to pursue like a super science career or just a science-related field, to make the world better?'' Merriam said. 'Giving them opportunities in the classroom to do that. Sometimes it can be as simple as pointing it out to them because they just don't realize it for themselves.'
Merriam noted that while her focus is always on the quality of education she provides, even a nomination for an award like this is a nice reminder that she's on the right path.
'When I got the email that said 'You're a state finalist,' I genuinely could not feel my legs,' Merriam said. 'I think it is just kind of that realization of a job well done. Your efforts have not been in vain, they did not go unappreciated, and that was lovely.'