Educator "Up Close"

Nina Hoffman Argyle Middle School Montgomery County

Degree: Bachelor's degree from University of Maryland.

Experience: Student taught 6th grade at Glenn Dale ES, 6th grade science at Silver Spring International MS, and art and 7th grade at Temple Solel Religious School for 3 years.

Subjects: 6th grade science.

"Most Memorable" Teaching Experience: While we were discussing run-off one of my students asked a wonderful question. He asked if the oil that his father was dumping into the street after he was changing the oil in his car was eventually going into the Chesapeake Bay. When he realized the negative effect that this had on the organisms in the Bay watershed, he got a bit upset with his father and told me that he would talk to his father about this. He said that he would suggest that his father discard the oil some other way. I was very proud that this student made this connection AND wanted to something about it. I never got a call from the father upset at this!

Favorite Class Trip: When another science teacher and I went to Piney Run Park with 10 students to plant the wild celery Bay grasses that we grew in our classroom. At first, most of my students did not want to get under the water and mess up their hair. In the end, I had trouble getting them out of the water.

Awards and Grants: Nina has participated in three different internship programs over the past few years - The NASA-Goddard Space and Flight Center program, the Argonne National Laboratory program and this summer the ESEP Summer Research Fellowship program.

Future Plans: I plan to begin taking classes towards my maser's dregree next fall in educational technology leadership.

Educator "Up Close Candidates

http://www.mdsg.umd.edu/Extension/msgsnn/msgsnn05_1/educator.html