Hey ya'll!  I'm so excited to be working with my friend, Outdoor Amy, to bring you Science Snacks!  I was a 5th grade science teacher prior to become the Elementary Science Coordinator for Northwest ISD.  Now I get to work with kindergarten through 5th grade teachers in science!  My passion is to teach students how to become a scientist instead of teaching students the knowledge already gained by scientists. What better way to develop student scientists than to partner with their teachers in practice! 

I am a native Texan and grew up in Keller and Fort Worth.  I graduated from Keller High School and began my college career at Texas Christian University, majoring in political science and business.  But I found my calling in education after becoming a substitute teacher!  I ended up graduating from The University of North Texas with a bachelor's of science degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, specializing in early childhood through 6th grade.  In 2018, I was honored to received NISD district “Teacher of the Year”. The same month, I was awarded third place in the Texas Medical Association’s Ernest and Sarah Butler Award for Excellence in Science Teaching. These awards speak to my passion in education for student and teacher success in science!

My favorite part about science is DISCOVERY!  I learn new things everyday by making observations, asking questions, trying something new and even FAILING!  As one of my favorite scientist, Thomas Edison, once said, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work"! 

Hi there! Northwest ISD students and teachers call me "Outdoor Amy" instead of what my former students called me of "Ms. H." I have been been in education for 17 years, nine of those years in the classroom teaching Career and Technical Education (CTE) in a variety of program pathways. Since my time with NISD, I have been learning and growing to support science literacy  - especially in environmental education and my other favorite, agricultural education. 

I LOVE learning and talking and leading others to be curious about their natural world by making observations and asking questions - lots of questions!

To help me prepare for this incredible journey with Mrs. Suarez and you, I first went to college. I graduated from Texas Tech University with a bachelor of science in Agricultural Communications. After a few years teaching about water quality "informally" to stakeholders in Tarrant County, I decided to take the leap towards becoming an official teacher. I went through a teacher educator program (we call it alternative certification) at Texas A&M University - Commerce in 2005, and have been teaching since! I finished my Masters in Agricultural Sciences in 2019 from TAMU-Commerce. I continue to learn by reading, asking lots of questions, and engaging with other passionate educators, agriculturalists, scientists and more! 

One of the best part of my jobs is not only working with students, but getting to work with cool teacher leaders like Mrs. Suarez. Together we have fun, push each other to think big ideas and hold each other accountable in our work. It is great to have a teammate like that to grow as a scientist! 

Learning is the coolest! (learning about science is EVEN cooler!)