Mrs. Brooke Maciaszek Receives her STEM Certification
As a STEM school, it is crucial for our faculty to continually learn… just like our students. One of our Kindergarten teachers, Mrs. Brooke Maciaszek, has done just that.
During her tenure at St. Joseph Catholic STEM School, Mrs. Maciaszek has taught in many classrooms but has found a home in Kindergarten. Throughout the uncertainty of 2020, she has continued to stay focused on her own virtual learning. After six months of classes and hard work, she has obtained her STEM Certification from St. Catherine University!
Her classes ranged from Literacy through Inquiry to Best Practices in a 1:1 Classroom, but her favorite was Basics of Engineering. Why? “My instructor was extremely knowledgeable and made the class applicable to my daily classroom teaching style,” says Maciaszek.
This certification has allowed Mrs. Maciaszek to expand her skills and methods for engaging students in rich, powerful STEM learning experiences. “A common phrase in my classroom is: You can do hard things! Throughout this experience, I was challenged, and I had to remind myself of this phrase often. I knew if I wanted my students to do hard things that I needed to push myself too.”
While St. Joseph Catholic STEM School strives to have a fully STEM certified faculty, Maciaszek also had her own reasons for pursuing this certification. “To best serve my students in a STEM school, I feel that it is important to understand STEM education. During this program, I questioned things, researched, planned, tested, and improved just like my students. But this time, I got to be the student again!”
Congratulations to Mrs. Brooke Maciaszek on her amazing accomplishments!
