EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION Q&A WITH TAMMIE SCHRADER, WASHINGTON ALPHA NU CHAPTER

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ammie Schrader, Washington Alpha Nu Chapter, is regional science coordinator at Educational Service District 101 in Washington. She also assists Eastern Washington University in developing mentoring programs to help students learn computer coding. In 2013, Tammie was selected as a Hope Street Group National Teacher Fellow. Her work with the group took her to Washington, D.C., where she was invited by the White House to teach computer and math games to selected staff. Hope Street Group’s Fellowship program consists Tammie Schrader of teachers and coaches who promote positive change in their profession through connecting with other teachers and local and national policymakers. “Every teacher should be exposed to local, state and federal legislation and learn that they have the power to positively influence change through hard work and perseverance,” Tammie said in an interview with her local newspaper.

WHAT SPARKED YOUR INTEREST IN BECOMING AN EDUCATOR?

As the youngest daughter in a family of 12 children, growing up, I only wanted peace and quiet in my life and said I would never be a teacher! After having worked as a NASA contractor for eight years, I left work to stay home with my two daughters. The local high school needed a math tutor. I went to volunteer my time and fell in love with the kids and the feeling that I could make a difference. I went to the local university the next day and declared education my major.

HOW DO YOU ENCOURAGE STUDENTS’ INTEREST IN STEM SUBJECTS?

The best way to encourage students in STEM is to give them hands-on experiences. In my science class, I had every student learn to code in order to teach them skills. When it came time to assess them on science concepts, they were given the option of PowerPoint, Word or programming. Embedding STEM into their everyday experience was the best way I knew how to give every student 8 KAPPAN •

the experience. Another way I created programs was through after-school clubs. I knew there were competitions students could be part of, and I also listened to students tell me what they wanted. When students wanted to learn Python (programming language), I was able to get a hold of our local university and had their computer science students come teach the club since I had no idea how to use Python. I got to learn right alongside the kids!

WHAT ARE YOUR CLASSROOM GOALS?

It is my job to give kids troubleshooting and problem-solving skills. I believe in giving students real issues facing our planet today, with climate change being a huge issue. I think these students are going to need these skills to not only deal with global issues, but issues they will face on a daily basis in their lives. Teaching students to think critically and be consumers of information is the best thing we can do for them to empower them to lead the lives they imagine for themselves.

WHAT ARE SOME EDUCATION POLICY CHANGES YOU HAVE WORKED ON?

My policy project with Hope Street Group was to work on computer science at all levels. I started out just wanting to look at computer science for students by building a bridge from middle school to high school, because it is so much harder to get kids interested at the high school level. I started by working with a local high school teacher and working on a framework for modeling how a district could do the work. I was also in touch with state and federal policymakers around this issue. I got to go to Washington, D.C., and meet with our Senate aides and discuss how teachers should be at the table to implement policy. At the Education Department, I had a conversation with a Teacher Fellow there, a college professor from Boulder, Colorado, about gaming and programming. The next thing I knew, the president decided to hold a Game Jam at the White House, and I was invited to speak. Here in Washington state, we were working on a bill, House Bill 1813, to implement computer science in the classroom, and I got to be involved in that work as well. I continue to work on this bill and am now being afforded the opportunity to expand the computer science work in my local region. p APRIL 2016