Carly Brown, a science teacher at Harwood Union High School, accepted the VASE/Paula Fives-Taylor Awards for Outstanding Teaching in Science on Monday, September 23.
In her fourth year at Harwood, Brown teaches Earth space science, environmental science and marine science. “In the past I have also taught forensic science and HUB science. Before teaching at Harwood, I taught Earth science, physics, chemistry and biology at Craftsbury Academy,” said Brown.
When asked what she is most passionate about in her field, Brown said staying up to date with latest research and teaching.
“I love that in teaching science I have to constantly stay up to date with our latest scientific understanding in multiple fields. The questions that my students ask constantly drive this need for me to deepen my own scientific knowledge and skills. I feel so lucky that I get to work with science every day and get to see students excited by their own personal scientific discoveries. I also love that in teaching, I really get to learn every day – I learn from my students, from colleagues and from my own experiences,” said Brown.
Brown received her B.S. in biology with a minor in chemistry from UVM, which included a yearlong transfer to the University of Hawaii at Hilo to study marine science. Brown received her master’s through the field naturalist program at UVM. Brown’s teaching credentials are through the Teacher Apprenticeship Program at Champlain College.
Being recognized as science teacher of the year, Brown said that she is incredibly honored to be recognized by such an accomplished group of scientists and engineers.
“At the same time, I feel so strongly that my growth in teaching is a result of the strong collaborations between my colleagues – I work with some of the best!” said Brown.
As far as other professional accomplishments in the science and engineering field, Brown was a Teaching Fellow in the 2014 cohort of the Knowles Teacher Initiative, a five-year fellowship that provides science and math teachers with support and invaluable professional development.
“As a student in the field naturalist program, I got to work with the Nature Conservancy of New Hampshire to investigate the impact of prescribed fire on rare insects, specifically moths. Just today I got to show students my personal insect collection to answer a question about the difference between moths and butterflies. The majority of my moth collection is being held at the University of New Hampshire,” said Brown.
Brown also served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya for two years where she taught high school science (biology, chemistry, physics and agriculture) in very rural schools.
