The PAEMST award highlights my commitment to learning for my students and myself. Every day is an opportunity to make learning relevant for all students and provide a safe environment for them to challenge their own understanding and the ideas of others. This award is a reflection of my students and their families, colleagues, family, and friends that have supported, challenged, encouraged, and inspired me to grow as an educator by finding ways for each and every student to engage in learning.

Amy Peterson Lynnwood, WA | 7-12, Science, 2019

The official biography below was current at the time of the award.

Amy Peterson has been an educator for the past 17 years and has spent the last 16 years teaching eighth grade science at College Place Middle School. Her first year was at Mountlake Terrace High School teaching biology and chemistry to grades 9–12. Amy develops, designs, and implements professional development around equitable science teaching strategies at the building, district, regional, and national levels. She has been involved in studying ways to evaluate the way she and others effectively teach their subjects. Through thorough observation, assessment, and modification of curriculum, she's gained the ability to adjust the content of her lessons to best accommodate students on a class-by-class basis. Amy anchors her units with bewildering phenomena—observed in the natural world—in order to give her students the opportunity to learn about condtions that might at first appear singular, but are wholly relevant to life on earth. Amy earned a B.S. in zoology and M.A.T. from the University of Washington. She is National Board Certified in early adolescent science and certified in secondary science education.

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