Barbara was a Talented and Gifted Specialist for twelve years after teaching in an elementary classroom for twenty-three years. The daughter and grand daughter of teachers, she knew from a very early age that teaching would bring her fulfillment.
She has received recognition at both the state and national level for her work in science and technology with students and colleagues. She received the Teacher of the Year award from the Oregon Chapter of the American Electronics Association, the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science and Math Teaching, the Elementary Science Teacher of the Year from the Oregon Science Teachers Association, and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry and Tektronix with their Teacher of the Year award. She was recognized for her work with technology in the classroom by Texaco and Oregon Public Broadcasting with the Technology Teacher of the Year award.
An early phobia about science was overcome with the help of many truly patient mentors. Writing her first science book grew from a frustration Barbara felt with the lack of materials that fit the Oregon expectations for science. Teachers who attended her classes through Portland State University encouraged her to develop more science resources that were very teacher friendly. These materials were refined as part of her Masters in Science program through Oregon State University. Further work on the materials resulted in a K-8 program adopted by more than 20% of the schools in the state of Oregon.
Since retiring from teaching, Barbara remains active in several local classrooms, working with amazing teachers to share science to elementary students. She’s converting her materials to products and posting them in two online stores, Simply Science and Simply Math.
To contact Barbara, simply send a message to barbara “at sign” simplyscience.com