In a world where innovative thinking and technological skills are increasingly important, the Governor’s STEM Advisory Council at the Iowa Department of Education knows the importance of honoring the dedicated STEM teachers fostering thriving learning environments that allow students to develop these skills.
The Iowa STEM Teacher Award, sponsored by Google, is presented annually to one full-time, licensed PK-12 classroom teacher in each of the six STEM regions in Iowa. The award honors teachers making a difference in the lives of students across the state by providing excellent curriculum, encouraging lifelong learning and inspiring a passion for STEM beyond the classroom and into the future.
This year’s six regional Iowa STEM Teacher Award recipients were honored in a ceremony during STEM Day at the Capitol on March 3. We asked each awardee to share a bit of their story, telling us about their time as a STEM Teacher, how they came to the profession, what inspires them and what continues to excite them about teaching STEM.
Today, we are highlighting Dustan Kern, STEM teacher at Lewis Central Middle School in Council Bluffs in the Southwest Iowa STEM region.
What is the most rewarding part of being a STEM teacher?
For me the most rewarding part of being a STEM teacher is giving students the opportunity and exposure to new ways of thinking and learning as well as giving them access to equipment they can experience along the way.
What made you want to become a (subject) teacher?
In high school, I took computer science classes and industrial tech classes and loved them. I was also pretty good at math and science, but when it was time to decide a subject area for my major in education, STEM wasn’t really a thing so I went with math. A teacher at the high school asked if I would be interested in doing this job, and I have never looked back. It has been a fun and rewarding choice.
Why do you find it important to include community partners in your lessons?
The community partners that we have visited have been great in a couple of ways. First, with the plastics program we have learned so much about how to improve our products and procedures through visits with Majors Plastics in Omaha and St. Joe Plastics in St. Joe, Missouri, as well as other businesses like Lozier who has also been great to work with. These business partners have also been great in donating products, machinery and monetary donations from the partners listed above and also including Google and the Department of Natural Resources.
How is (subject) different from how our parents or grandparents may have been taught?
STEM wasn’t a thing even back when I was in college, and the term started sometime shortly after that. At the high school level, the industrial tech department has changed so much even from when I was in high school. So for my parents and grandparents I can’t even imagine all the differences. Robotics, App Creation and Computer Aided Drafting and Manufacturing weren’t really a thing back in the 80’s and before.
How do STEM programs prepare students for college and careers?
For me personally at the middle school level, I feel my job is to expose as many students to as many different types of STEM fields so they can make better choices when it comes to selecting classes at the high school and majors in college. I do my best to keep each type of class light and fun while still trying to have students pick up basic skills in each of the areas I teach.
If you are part of a STEM BEST Program, have been an Iowa STEM Teacher Extern, or have incorporated the STEM Scale-Up Program into your lessons during your teacher career, tell us about how the STEM Council’s programs have helped you and your students.
Lewis Central Middle School Plastics is a reality in large part because of the STEM BEST Program. We have been able to grow and expand the program over the past five years because of a couple STEM BEST awards, among others. Because of this, students in school and an afterschool club can take part in learning about recycling and plastic manufacturing using the plastic we recycle.