Naomi Meredith [00:00:00]:

When I first got started as a K through Five STEM teacher, I was a classroom teacher for six years, and I was excited to start a new adventure in teaching. So I applied to this job, where I ended up interviewing and getting the job. If you want to hear all about it, go back and listen to episode one. I spill all the details on how that interview went, but I ended up getting the job as a K through five STEM teacher and coach, and I was absolutely thrilled. But in turn, this was a brand new to me school, brand new classroom. I didn't know any of the students or the teachers, and there was limited supplies and zero curriculum, and not to mention I was the only STEM teacher in the building and I had to figure it out all by myself. Now, spoiler alert, I did figure it out. It took some time and a lot of trial and error, but if I were to go back and tell myself past Naomi, past STEM teacher Naomi, at the very beginning of it all, what are some things that I wish I knew at the time? And lucky for you, if you are first getting started in the STEM space or if you are thinking about that back to school mindset and you are wondering what to work on, what are those things that Past Nami wish she knew when she first got started in STEM? Well, in this episode, I am sharing that all with you, and I think that you're really going to be able to relate to all of these things.

Naomi Meredith [00:01:36]:

Whether this is your first year jumping into STEM or if you've been doing it for a while, there are some connections that we are going to make together. Before we jump in real quick. I get emails when I get new podcast reviews, which is super exciting, and I wanted to read this one for you. Now, the podcast reviews are really silly with the usernames. They just make something up.

Naomi Meredith [00:02:30]:

So maybe you made this up or maybe you didn't. I don't know how to change it when I write reviews for people, but I love this review so much. So this is from C Waddell 14, and they said the STEM teacher job opportunity was sprung on me out of the blue at the end of the school year. And although I was excited to try something new, I was feeling very lost and overwhelmed. As I had no idea where to begin, I stumbled upon Naomi's podcast, and I'm so glad I did. She has a great way of connecting with her listeners and making you feel less stressed and more confident. Thank you, Naomi, for creating this podcast and helping guide all of us to the amazing STEM world. Thank you so much for your review and taking the time to do that out of your busy schedule.

Naomi Meredith [00:03:24]:

I appreciate it so much. Not just selfishly hearing nice things about the podcast, because the weird thing about a podcast is, like, we're not talking together. You know what I'm saying? You're hearing me, and I'm looking right at my camera when I'm doing this, so I'm pretending it's you, but I don't know who it is. So leaving a review really helps not only letting me know what you're enjoying on the show, but also helping other teachers who are just like you be able to find something that can help them in their STEM journey and make this whole elementary STEM world a little bit smaller. So thank you so much for writing that review. All right, so what are those things that I wish I found out sooner when it came to the elementary STEM space? Now, maybe they will seem obvious to you. They kind of are and kind of aren't. What's super interesting about being in the STEM space, especially if you're a classroom teacher before, there are so many similarities, but there are a lot of differences.

Naomi Meredith [00:04:26]:

And I've talked about this before in a past episode. Like, what surprised me the most when I became a STEM teacher, these are the things that I wish I actually knew. So, yes, there were surprising things, but these are the things that I wish I knew. And once I figured them out and created a system and structure for them, then it was literally like magic and changed my life in the STEM world and really outside of teaching in general, let's be honest. So the first thing I wish I knew my first year teaching STEM is that there are a lot of different structures when it comes to teaching a STEM lesson. Like I said, as a classroom teacher, you use all of these structures, stations, working with students one on one, whole group instructions, splitting the class in different ways. All of those different ways where you structure your class and structure lessons can actually still apply in the STEM setting. What I was starting with a lot more often than not, was whole group lessons, and especially when you don't know any of the kids.

Naomi Meredith [00:05:31]:

So when you're teaching over 100 kids a day and you're doing whole group, that's actually really hard. And that's where I started. There's all these materials and all these things I wanted to try and to get to know the students. So I quickly realized that I can do a station model where it is smaller groups of kids and really setting up those parameters. And that way I could really test out the supplies, get to know their skills, get to know their names, and really help them navigate all of those things while I was navigating it myself. Let's be real, the things that I did my first year, there are a lot of things I don't do anymore. But a big thing with that is you don't have to teach whole group all the time. It is really helpful to teach whole group.

Naomi Meredith [00:06:15]:

It's obviously the quickest. But again, when you set up those structures and think about STEM stations, especially with the younger kids, I talk all about this in my K through two STEM planning workshops, which you can grab. And everything I'm going to be talking about is in the show notes. All my workshops are at naomimeredith.com/workshop. So upcoming recorded. But STEM stations were a huge game changer for me, especially for the younger students, because whole group doesn't always work well for 45 minutes when you are under the age of seven. And so that was something that was definitely a game changer for me.

Naomi Meredith [00:06:50]:

And the way that I plan STEM stations, I wish I knew that a lot sooner, where I could be more successful and really my kids could be more successful as well. Another thing too, when it comes to the structure of your lessons, is there's one day lessons and multi day lessons, and there's a time and place for both. And I've had some really weird schedules over the years. One year I was funded through a grant only on Mondays, and with that I was providing an extra plan time. And so I got students for that one day. It didn't really line up with their specials rotation, so I really considered as a one day of a week. And I taught eight classes a day in one day. And so that was the case where I really did need a one day lesson that just made more sense, maybe.

Naomi Meredith [00:07:39]:

I just saw a class last week, we just finished their project. Does it make sense starting something new? So a one day lesson really made sense there. But when I saw kids Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, the same six classes in a row, that's when it really made sense to do multi day lessons. And you can still do multi day lessons if you see everybody in the week and just once a week, maybe your multi day is among the different weeks. That can definitely be a possibility too. So with that one day option, for me, it was once a month. So I saw eight classes a day. It was once a month.

Naomi Meredith [00:08:16]:

So we kind of modified things after they got a little crazy. After eight classes, I don't even know if I got a lunch. I don't really remember, but it was crazy. So definitely knowing the difference between one day and multi day lessons can actually help out your planning as well. Another model too, if you have the opportunity, is co teaching and all those structures within co teaching in itself and what other teachers are used to. My good friend Becca, who is on the podcast on episode 40, she actually does co-teaching 100% of the time in her STEM role, which is really interesting and not a wrong way, but just another way that STEM can be taught. And that's also something that I did in my role as well. I told you my schedule is really weird over the years.

Naomi Meredith [00:09:00]:

But having that co teaching model can be really interesting, and especially when you're getting into the planning and making sure the content is aligning, teaching those lessons, modifying, coming back and reviewing, that's a whole different way of planning as well. Also part of that coplanning and co teaching, maybe you're copanning with those teachers. They're doing something in your STEM classroom, and then they're taking that thing from the STEM classroom into another place. Or maybe you're coplanning and co teaching. They're creating something in art. This is something I actually recently did. They are creating something in art. They're bringing it into STEM, and they're adding on some different components.

Naomi Meredith [00:09:40]:

So if this is something you're interested in, send me a message if you're interested more in coplaning and code teaching when it comes to STEM because this is definitely an interesting model and I feel like it can go this way a lot, especially if schools don't have a lot of STEM. So this is something that I definitely figured out my first year. Another thing that I wish I knew my first year teaching STEM is that high quality lesson planning is an absolute game changer at first. Just like most of us in this STEM space, you get this position and not only are you thinking about the lessons, but how should you set up your classroom? How am I going to learn all these kids names, all these meetings I have to go to? Maybe you're in charge of technology. You have all of these things going on that a lot of times it's easy to get into this bad habit where I'm going to tell you why, but easy to get into this bad habit where you are literally planning day to day. And sure, you have lessons go out on the table, but when it comes down to it, you might even be wasting more time than you think. You're going day to day today, not thinking ahead far enough. And then you might be spending your weekends lesson planning.

Naomi Meredith [00:10:50]:

Maybe you're coming in and instead of enjoying a nice day out in fun in the sun with your dog, you're bringing them into your classroom and watching The Bachelor rewinds. Not to say that I did that more than once, but that can just really create the cycle where you're doing more work on yourself. And that even goes back to the different lesson planning structures. You don't have to do a brand new lesson every single day. It doesn't have to be a brand new thing, a brand new experience think about, especially if you were a classroom teacher, you're not doing something brand new every single day. In fact, you are building up on those sySTEMs and routines the whole entire year. And maybe you're switching up the content. Your STEM space can be the same way.

Naomi Meredith [00:11:37]:

And if you are a classroom teacher implementing STEM, maybe you have STEM Fridays. You can have that same structure and you're switching out the content or you're reemphasizing something you've already done. So it doesn't have to be brand new every day. So after that first year, I really took the time. I sat down one summer and literally mapped out the whole entire year. I took a look at the standards also the lessons that I taught. I was planning with standards, but not as thoughtfully as I thought I was. And really looking through, okay, what is the time I have with kids? What are the things I can realistically do within that time? Maybe it took a couple of months to get through a project because at the time I was only seeing them three days out of the week, sometimes two, with things popping up.

Naomi Meredith [00:12:27]:

So it might take longer for a project, but we're really getting to that content. And how can I really go through these standards in meaningful ways and also using the materials in meaningful ways that were low prep and high prep, having a mixture of all of that? And in turn, my year long plan definitely evolved into the lessons that they are today. And they are still evolving with updates and changes and things that are being added to help students be successful. So really thinking through your lessons and having high quality planning and taking a step back, whether it is during the summer or taking a few weeks to really think through the whole year, where you aren't planning day to day, your plan time is for actually planning. Maybe you have an idea of what the lessons are going to be, but you're actually planning through those during your plan time, how you should. And so you are getting your weekends back and you are enjoying the things. You are a person and you're a teacher. You're not just a teacher.

Naomi Meredith [00:13:25]:

And it's okay to separate those two things. So that whole year long plane you can definitely grab. But if you need support too, I do have spots available in my one to one coaching that you guys have been asking for for a while. I know that my podcast says the elementary STEM coach. The STEM coach is real. I can be chatting with you and we can actually talk and meet live so that's available in the show notes or go to Naomimeredith.com coaching and we can start working together to really think about those high quality lessons. And the third thing that I wish I knew my first year teaching STEM is that you actually need to go out and seek professional development opportunities. This is so different than being a classroom teacher, because I remember being a classroom teacher that sometimes there was too much professional development opportunities and too many things that they wanted us to do.

Naomi Meredith [00:14:24]:

And on the flip side, being a STEM teacher, a lot of those classroom things can still apply, but you might not be using the same curriculum as them or the testing methods maybe you are. And it can actually get frustrating pretty quickly because the professional development isn't always tailored to you and what you need. And depending on your district and the opportunities that they have, they may or may not have anything that you are searching for when it comes to STEM professional development. And so that was a huge thing that I realized where in a way, as a classroom teacher, you're kind of spoiled it's like handed to you almost too much, but it's handed to you. And then, as a STEM teacher, I needed to seek those things out so that I could still be innovative and relevant for my students and giving them the opportunities that they absolutely deserve. Here are some ways that I sought out different professional development that was really helpful for me as a 1st year STEM teacher. And also going through the years, I actually didn't come into this space with a master's degree. I just had my general education degree.

Naomi Meredith [00:15:33]:

I actually never knew what to get my Master's in. So I found one that I really enjoyed, and I eventually got a Master's in STEM Leadership. And so through that process, definitely learned a lot of things that helped me refine my teaching and improve what I was doing in the classroom. Likewise, if I had products in my classroom that I had inherited or things that I wrote grants for, I didn't have anybody to teach me. And so what's really great about a lot of these companies and a specific reason why I picked certain products over others is that these companies had different tools to help me learn the product. So if I didn't know how to do it, I would go to their website, go through their tutorials, go through their items to really help me get a base understanding of how the product worked. And then while I'm implementing with students, I learned alongside with them. If you go on my Instagram, you see me all the time.

Naomi Meredith [00:16:24]:

I am reading constantly. I was a bookworm as a kid as well. I've always read a ton of books. Fun fact about me, I usually have about three books going at once. I'm listening to a nonfiction. I'm reading a nonfiction for the Sum teacher bookshelf membership. And also I'm reading a fiction to keep everything separated. But reading is a really great way to again stay relevant and keep you in that mindset.

Naomi Meredith [00:16:50]:

Even if you're not implementing every single thing that you read, it's just so good to fill your brain with those things, align with other people in the world who believe what you do in STEM education. So I just love having that always going. And in the STEM teacher bookshelf membership, we're always reading a new book a month to help us stay motivated, along with that reading guide to implement some of the things that we learn. Another big thing, too, that I wish I knew sooner as a first year teacher is connecting and finding people over on social media and also podcasts. I don't know if there was any podcasts at the time. I wish I knew there were. But finding those people again that you connect it with, whether it's me or other people, just to continue the learning and get a sneak peek of what it's like in their classrooms. A big reason why I am doing what I am doing for you is quite a few things.

Naomi Meredith [00:17:48]:

Of course, pushing out STEM to more kids all over the world, because that's a world we're living in and they're growing up in, and you are the teachers who are motivating them as well. You are inspiring me. Past naomi is inspiring me. I want to be that person for you that you can connect with and have some guidance in this STEM education world. It is so exciting. There are so many resources out there, but I know there is a need for help with learning and talking to somebody who gets what you get. So I have all these things out there. The podcast is still going, and again, we can definitely connect with my one to one coaching where we can talk about those things that we can relate on.

Naomi Meredith [00:18:32]:

Like, for sure, kids eat masking tape. If you figured out where all that masking tape goes, let me know. It's not always their projects either. So things like that where we can connect and talk and set goals and really work on the things that you are passionate about in your classroom so that you aren't feeling alone and that you are feeling inspired for the next step in your journey. What is so interesting about this STEM job is that, yes, it's teaching, but it is very unique, and you can definitely talk about it with other teachers. And there's a lot of similarities in teaching that any teacher would get. But there's something about STEM education that is so unique. And even my now husband, who was my fiance when I interviewed him on the podcast, you can go and listen to that one.

Naomi Meredith [00:19:20]:

It might be episode 94, I'm not 100% sure, but it'll be linked for you. He's a high school Spanish teacher, and I was an elementary STEM teacher. They are completely different. Completely different. He didn't understand hardly anything, what I'm doing. He's like, good job. That sounds really fun. I don't know what that means, so there's just something to be had talking with someone and connecting with someone who gets what you're doing to help you move along and reach your goals in STEM education.

Naomi Meredith [00:19:53]:

As a recap, here are the three things that I wish I had known when I was a 1st year STEM teacher. First, there are different structures to teach lessons that will definitely make your life easier in the long run. Next, high-quality lesson planning is an absolute game changer. And finally, you still need to seek out those professional development and learning opportunities. Thank you again so much for being here. What are some things that you would add to your list? Are they big or small? Let me know. Send me a DM on Instagram at NaomiMeredith_.

Naomi Meredith [00:20:32]:

I would love to hear what you have to say, and I will see you in the next episode.