Jennifer Booz of Homer Middle School in Homer, Alaska, has
been selected for the Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Research
(Fulbright DA) Program to Finland, a program sponsored by the U.S. Department
of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.
Booz is one of approximately 22 U.S. citizens who will
travel to 10 countries around the world in spring 2021 on the Fulbright DA
Program. Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic
and professional achievement, as well as record of service and demonstrated leadership
potential. Learn more about the Fulbright
Program, a the flagship
international educational exchange
program sponsored by the U.S government, and created to increase mutual
understanding and build
lasting connections between
the people of the United
States and the people of other
countries.
In her words
Ms. Booz replies to questions…
Education is evolving,
especially in 2020! What most intrigues you?
The world is becoming increasingly connected both to itself
and to information. Gone are the days when the teacher imparted all knowledge
onto students, revealing the mysteries of the universe. Beyond the critical
skills of reading and writing, it will no longer be appropriate to teach facts
and ask for recall. Students have this information at their fingertips.
Educators would be foolish to not evolve along with our students. I see the
role of education and teachers evolving into that of a guide and interpreter. I
would love to see a teacher pose questions or present students with phenomena
which is then explored. Teachers and students would then work together to sift
through the vast amounts of information and students would learn the skills
needed to navigate this new world. I am also interested in developing more ways
for classroom students to feel empowered to make things happen in their
community. I want students to realize they have a powerful voice, and take what
they learn in school to use it.
Wow! What does
receiving the Fulbright Award evoke in you?
I feel both thrilled and terrified. This is a very
prestigious award and I want to be sure to do my best during my fellowship to
show I am worthy of this honor. I know I will be in the company of people far
smarter and more accomplished than myself and look forward to collaborating
with and learning from them. I am also very much looking forward to being a
student again. I have so much to learn from the courses I will take and from
the Finnish teachers I will be working with.
In retrospect,
do you have guidance for your younger self?
I have always wanted to study and live abroad. For many
reasons, this never happened during high school and college. Since then, it has
seemed a far off dream that would never happen. I think I would tell myself, “Stick
with it. Keep working hard, push yourself out of your comfort zone, keep
learning and trying to improve yourself, and never let your work become stagnant.”
Even after 17 years of teaching, I feel I have so much to learn. I want my
younger self to know it will be worth it one day!
I hope my future self can tell me that my Fulbright
experience was a life-changing one. I want to know I took full advantage of all
the opportunities given me, embraced the culture, and made new friends and
colleagues. I want to hear that it will be challenging but entirely worth it. (Oh,
and I want to know that COVID-19 doesn’t interfere with the program by shutting
down countries again!)
What’s a
favorite aspect to your work each day?
If last spring and remote teaching taught me anything, it is
that students are my favorite aspect of my work day. Middle schoolers are goofy
and weird and hormonal and smart. My daily interactions, from hallway banter to
engaging them in science learning, keep me going through the not so fun stuff.
With no
limits, what is your dream three-to-six month professional learning experience
you’d like to pursue?
I am doing it! The Fulbright DA is the ultimate in
professional learning experiences for teachers. It combines living and studying
abroad with high level learning and professional development. When choosing my
host country, Finland stood out for a few reasons. First, their education
system is generally regarded as being the best in the world. I want to learn
from the best. Also, in 2016, Finland implemented a country-wide curriculum
reform which, among many things, mandates Phenomenon-Based
Learning (PBL) in all schools. PBL is near and dear to my heart so I hope
to learn from Finnish teachers about best practices in PBL in hopes of bringing
them back to my classroom in Alaska.
John O’Brien, Superintendent of Schools said, “Jen is a
student centered teacher who always puts her students’ needs above her own. She
is always at the cutting edge of embracing innovated instructional practices and
is an amazing role model for her students. She will represent KPBSD wonderfully
in this Fulbright experience and I am certain that when she returns her
students and colleagues will also benefit from this amazing learning
experience.”
Homer Middle School Principal Kari Dendurent wrote, “Ms. Jennifer Booz
is an exceptional physical science teacher who consistently represents her
colleagues in leadership roles, and continually strives to further improve
herself professionally. For the last seven years as the Homer Middle School
principal, I have been fortunate to supervise Jennifer in her position as the
eighth grade science teacher. Our school is located in a small coastal town at
the end of the road in Homer Alaska, has a student body of approximately 200
seventh and eighth grade students from a high diversity of families and
cultures including Alaska natives, commercial fishermen, and oil and gas
industries. Jennifer’s physical science curriculum routinely incorporates
community engagement including local scientists from a broad range of
disciplines and teaches physical sciences through local relevant and current
topics. Jennifer has been teaching middle school science for 14 years covering
a variety of topics within science from engineering to the scientific method to
design and modeling. Jennifer’s students are consistently engaged in high-level
thinking and rigorous learning activities. Her ability to establish rapport and
connect with the students, which has resulted in, improved student
self-motivation. Jennifer continually refines her practices and in my opinion,
this has benefited our student’s learning and academic achievements.”
Congratulations Ms. Jennifer Booz!