Helping kids find their passions: Monomoy teacher honored as STEM Teacher of the Year

CHATHAM- Nancy Gifford, a seventh grade science teacher at Monomoy Middle School has been selected as the Massachusetts STEM Teacher of the Year by the Patriots Hall of Fame, presented by Raytheon Technologies.

As this year’s recipient, Monomoy Middle School will receive $5,000 from the Patriots Foundation in her name to be used for STEM education. Gifford will also be appointed to Gov. Maura Healey’s STEM Advisory Council, chaired by Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll.

Gifford was previously selected as the 2018 recipient of the State Science Educator of the Year Award by the Massachusetts Association of Science Teachers.

In a family of educators, Gifford’s love for science started from an early age

Gifford’s teaching career started at Mashpee Elementary School in 1992. She joined Harwich Elementary School in 2008 and then moved to Harwich Middle School in 2010. She’s been teaching seventh grade science since and currently also teaches sixth and seventh grade robotics.

Growing up in Dennis, in a family of educators, Gifford’s love for science started from an early age. Both her grandparents and several uncles were teachers, but it was through her mother who was a nurse and father who was a mechanic that Gifford was inspired to take up teaching as a career.

“My mother taught me through her nursing in the medical field, and then my father taught me how things work and how to fix things. It was kind of the combination of the teaching family and then a strong science background that really inspired me,” said Gifford.

'I wanted kids to understand they can do anything they want to do.'

For Gifford, teaching science is about constant fun where's there’s always new things to learn, new discoveries to make and the hands-on experiences she can share with her students are incomparable to any other subject.

She obtained her undergraduate degree from UMass Amherst and master’s in early childhood education and development from Wheelock College. Her sights were set on being an elementary teacher.

Nearly 20 years ago, Gifford was selected for NASA's NEW program where she spent two weeks at Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama learning about the space program.

“Someone from Cape Cod can go and get a job working at NASA, it never occurred to me before that we don’t have many examples of that, here on the Cape,” said Gifford. “From that point on, I wanted kids to understand they can do anything they want to do and as a teacher, I have to help them see that there's lots of careers they probably never even heard of and help them pursue them.”

Gifford has worked at NASA as a master teacher for the Global Precipitation Measurement Mission (GPM) and been a member of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Climate Stewards Program.

In 2012, Gifford was selected to attend the Honeywell Educators at Space Academy, a space camp experience for teachers sponsored by Honeywell Hometown Solutions.

“I’ve done several interesting programs for teachers where I've worked with scientists and other teachers; I've done a lot of part time work and contract work for NASA and WGBH,” said Gifford.

Gifford is a certified presenter for the Chemical Education Foundation's Essential Elements Program, WGBH/PBS LearningMedia teacher adviser and presenter, WGBH/NASA’s Bringing the Universe to America's Classrooms teacher adviser, Cape Cod STEM Network, and a Cape Light Compact Teacher Adviser.

Gifford has been involved in curriculum review and lesson writing for various organizations, and has been able to bring back those experiences to the classroom.

“We’re shifting the way that we teach science. It’s more of a practical experience now, rather than just learning something from the textbook,” said Gifford. “Students are actually defining problems and figuring out solutions, learning from their mistakes, asking more questions and following the cycle that scientists do in the real world.”

Cape Cod is a great place for science lovers, according to Gifford.

"Our kids go out on field trips, testing the water, learning about carbon in the marshes and how the sea level rise is impacting our shorelines and endangered species," said Gifford.

There’s a lot to do on the Cape, thinking from the science based career perspective but what Cape Cod lacks is the access to technology and resources to pursue innovative science careers.

Gifford is excited to bring a voice from Cape Cod to Gov. Healey's STEM Advisory Council.

“We don't have our families working in high tech companies for the most part and we don't have access to some of the opportunities for our students to go and have an internship at some of these corporations,” said Gifford. “There are wonderful opportunities around but our kids don’t have the access to these, because of the distance. I'm hoping to be able to give a voice to that.”

More: A 'standout' inspiration: Martha's Vineyard teacher is island's first to win state honor

Teachers should be finding programs and resources to help them find what they want to do, according to Gifford, a member of the National Science Teachers Association.

“I know a lot of teachers around the state and around the country and it ties me into this network of great teachers where we share ideas and learn from each other,” said Gifford. "I am grateful to the teachers I work with and the seats I have held, I've had good support from my family as well over the years and I have been extremely lucky,” said Gifford.

“The most important thing to me is helping kids find their passions so they can have the best life possible,” she said.

Rasheek Tabassum Mujib writes about healthcare and education. Reach her at rmujib@capecodonline.com.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Monomoy science teacher Nancy Gifford honored for STEM work