About the Author

My name is Stacey Haas and I have spent the past ten years teaching chemistry at Guilderland High School which is a suburban public high school that serves approximately 1700 students just outside of Albany, NY. I have fourteen years of teaching experience overall and I have a B.S degree in Biology and Teacher Education and an M.S degree in Curriculum Development and Instructional Technology from the University at Albany.

My interest in global education began in 2014 when I had the opportunity to host a science teacher from the Philippines in my classes for ten weeks through an amazing program called International Leaders in Education (ILEP). While I was introducing him to our educational system, he taught me a tremendous amount about the education system in the Philippines, particularly regarding how science is approached there.

After this unique opportunity came to a close, I began to think a lot more about how science is taught on a global scale. I came to the realization that while the process of the scientific method may be a constant, how science is approached and what is studied is often influenced by one's cultural values and norms. These musings led me to apply to the Teachers for Global Classrooms Fellowship program through the U.S. Department of State and IREX. This year-long fellowship provided incredible professional development regarding global education and also gave me the opportunity to travel abroad to learn about another culture as well as exploring how science is approached in another country.