The Official STEMscopes Blog

Stephanie Even has been with STEMscopes since June of 2017, making this her fourth year with the curriculum writing team! And we are so grateful to have her with us.

Before joining STEMscopes, Stephanie was a fourth- and fifth-grade science and math teacher for Cy-Fair ISD, located in northwest Houston. Her teaching experience combined with her education background (she earned her Bachelor of Arts in International Service and an Alternative Certification to teach in Texas) make her a standout addition to the curriculum team.

What Stephanie most enjoys about STEMscopes is that it enables her to stay connected to family life and work from home while keeping her involved in the education field. Finding that type of work was one of her personal goals when she took a break from teaching, and soon after, she learned about the STEMscopes summer writing program from a friend.

When it comes to math education, we all want the same thing: students who are confident critical thinkers and problem solvers. Unfortunately, the classroom is often dominated by teaching models that overemphasize hitting benchmarks and proceeding to the next topic, leaving us with students who misunderstand math and feel intimidated by it. These models treat students like machines, and grades serve as markers reflecting how well the machines are operating. 

The Mona Lisa is surprisingly, almost shockingly, small. Yet its far-reaching influence has made it synonymous with greatness. “Well, that painting is good, but I mean, it’s not the Mona Lisa,” the armchair art critic will opine. Upon seeing it for the first time in real life, some observers remark with puzzlement and a hint of disappointment: “That’s it? Huh.” 

After teaching fifth-grade science for over six years, in addition to teaching multiple other subjects to third-, fifth-, and sixth-graders in a self-contained classroom, Katy Grose has become an expert in creating and writing curricula that engages students.

Currently an art teacher for grades K-4, Katy has worked jointly with STEMscopes for six years. One of her colleagues tells us that “Katy has been writing for us for some time now, and there’s never a task that she can't handle. She is thorough and quick. She works with multiple grade levels and has a creative, fun-loving side that shows in everything she writes, as well as through her interaction with others. She is a hard worker who is dedicated to writing lessons that are best for students.”

Introduction