The Official STEMscopes Blog

The effects of the pandemic have left almost no one untouched, and education is one area in particular that has experienced tremendous hardship. In December 2020, the former administration signed into effect a $900 billion stimulus package that includes section H.R. 133, which provides $70 billion to help public and private schools recover from the pandemic. This bill is of paramount importance for anybody with skin in the education game (which is all of us), so we’ve provided an overview of how H.R. 133 works.

After a whopping 23 years of being a science teacher, science department head, science teacher trainer and a summer training coordinator, Lisa Culberson is now, mostly, retired. However, she still works with STEMscopes during some of her free time.

Lisa started working with STEMscopes as a science teacher trainer and transitioned to being a curriculum writer in October of 2017. As a science curriculum writer, she most enjoys the chance to write about the various products we offer in our program. For example, writing lessons in partnership with our streaming companies, BBC and CNN, and curriculum products that we offer in Australia, Canada, the UK, and across all 50 US states. 

Kathy Blanton’s instructional experience is vast. Before joining STEMscopes, she taught math, health, and science to several different grade levels, and is now entering her eighth year of teaching seventh-grade science at Rodeo Palms Junior High at Alvin ISD, a large suburban district south of Houston. It’s her extensive experience and passion for teaching that’s made her the perfect fit for writing science curriculum at STEMscopes, where she currently works a second full-time position.

It’s no surprise that STEMscopes sought Jennifer Donovan to join the company’s team of curriculum writers. Donovan’s experience in teaching spans several subjects, grades, and districts. She taught all third-grade subjects while at Galveston ISD, in addition to teaching both math and social studies to fourth through sixth grades at Galveston and Dickinson ISD. She was also team leader, mentoring teacher, and department lead. To say she is apt at juggling several topics and subjects at once would be an understatement.

No task is too complex or unfamiliar for Bonnie Smith, who joined our team of STEMscopes Science teacher writers at the start of this year. While she’s been with the Texas team for just seven months, Bonnie quickly stood out for her creativity, attention to detail, and willingness to take on new challenges. We are so thankful for teachers like Bonnie, and we’d like to show our appreciation by taking a closer look at her background and accomplishments in this month’s Teacher Writer Spotlight.