Dana Clark, a Dallas ISD Teacher of the Year, has taught science at Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School since 2004.
During that time, she has fired up the imaginations of her students and others around the country as she blogged from such far-flung locations as Mount Kilimanjaro as part of an international team studying climate change. She has also visited Alaska as a member of a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientific delegation mapping the Alaskan seafloor.
Clark says such experiences are meant to excite her students about the study of science.
“My hope is that my enthusiasm for science and what I present about the world around us sparks a curiosity in my students and makes them want to ask questions. Student inquiry-based learning is the basis of my classroom. I make science interesting and fun. I bring my experience from participating in science expeditions from around the world into my classroom and connect it to my lessons.”
Student Josie Ibarra says being in Clark’s class is a life-changing experience.
“Through the course of our years in school we categorize our teachers based on how they teach, such as the boring teacher, the fun teacher, the strict teacher, the demanding teacher, etc. Ms. Clark has her own category that cannot be summed up into a few words because she is a teacher that impacts more than your education; she impacts your entire life. Science may not be your favorite subject or even the easiest, but Ms. Clark makes science one of the best parts about my day.”
Learn more about what makes Clark a special teacher in the above video.
