Lynn Lahti-Hommeyer

Each year the President of the U.S. recognizes outstanding K-12 science and math teachers throughout the country. One math and one science educator is chosen from each state who exemplifies deep content knowledge combined with the ability to motivate students in science and math.

In their life science unit, Lynn Hommeyer’s students raise monarch butterflies. “They find this unit fascinating because they get an up-close view of the monarch’s life cycle,” said Hommeyer. To rid students of any intimidation they may feel toward science, she keeps them busy with several different activities. In her classroom, she said, it is all about the students. Hommeyer wants them to feel comfortable to engage in hands-on, inquiry-based science so that they can see, do, and understand what they are being taught.

Every day, it is my goal to tap into a child’s innate curiosity and intrigue. I encourage kids to think, work hard, and have fun! My students learn that it is okay to have fun while learning in the classroom. Throughout the year, we sing about science, act out science skits, and write poems about science. Science isn’t a subject in our school, it’s a way of life!