Becoming a teacher wasn’t the initial plan for Math and Science Academy science teacher Cheri Howe, but it eventually became the ideal plan.

“I had a degree in natural resources and environmental studies and I was going to go into soil and water conservation,” she said. “However I had children and I stayed at home.

“As I started volunteering in the school, I saw really great teachers and it got me excited to be a teacher.”

Howe eventually went back to school to receive her education degree, and now 12 years later she has been named the 2015 Coleen Yatckoske Middle Level Educator of the Year by the Minnesota Middle School Association.

“I was very excited, I was shocked,” Howe said of the award. “I was humbled by that. There are so many great teachers out there, how they can make a decision I don’t know.”

As part of the award Howe received a plaque, $250 for herself and $250 for MSA.

“One thing I thought of, I can’t say if it will happen, is some sort of service field trip,” she said of what she plans to do with her cash prize.

A passion for science, education

After receiving her education degree from Bemidji State University, Howe, of White Bear Lake, sought open teaching positions at charter schools in the Twin Cities.

“I sought out a charter school. The reason being, I knew that charter schools were teacher led,” she said. “You have autonomy as a teacher, you can do your own curriculum.”

Howe had initially hoped to be an elementary science teacher at a charter school, however there were no openings for such a position.

But then Howe came across MSA and it seemed like a good fit.

“I enjoy the kids,” she said. “The energy of middle school kids is fantastic because they’re more mature than an elementary student and they’re still open to learning things.”

As a middle school, grades 7-8, science teacher Howe said she tries to make science as ww as possible to her students by getting them outside to experience it first-hand, such as observing the moon.

“Earth science is a passion of mine, so I’m hoping to transfer that passion to them,” she said. “I want my students to just get out and do things, I want them to explore, I want them to know more than just what they get in their video games.”

Additionally, Howe said it’s important to make science relevant to students.

“Science is not static, science changes,” she said, “so it’s important to drive your curriculum by what’s happening.”

For example, Howe will be discussing El Niño with students and how it relates to Minnesota’s current mild winter.

Another important facet of being a teacher, she said, is that you have to learn right alongside the students.

“I learn from the kids and I will never stop learning as long as I’m in education,” she said. “I personally think that education is a mission and it’s a passion of mine.”

When asked about where she sees her teaching career going in the future, Howe said she hopes her future continues to include MSA.

“As our school continues to grow, I hope to grow with it,” she said. “It’s a small environment where you can do small things that make a big difference.

“I love MSA because it gave me the opportunity to grow as a teacher and as a leader.”