It is an honor to be recognized for the years I have devoted to honing my craft. Making science meaningful to students is such a vital part of their education. This award inspires me to continue encouraging students to observe the world around them and wonder why things are the way they are so they may appreciate our fascinating world. The Presidential Award makes me proud to be a science educator.

Jane Ramos Smithfield, RI | 7-12, Science, 2019

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

Jane Ramos has been an educator for 30 years and has spent the last 22 years teaching science at Gallagher Middle School. She currently teaches eighth grade science. Before teaching middle school, she taught at William Winsor Elementary School for six years and was a secondary special educator at Smithfield High School for one year. She currently teaches eighth grade science. Through her life-long love of science coupled with her enthusiasm for teaching adolescents, Jane has developed a student-centered learning environment where students are comfortable taking risks. Jane carefully designs lessons that are relevant, investigative, challenging, and encourage students to think like scientists. As a member of the Rhode Island network of science instructional leaders, Jane creates tools to inform teaching and learning and develops common assessments. She has also collaborated with JASON Learning to design a unit of instruction on climate change aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards. Jane served as an educator ashore for Dr. Robert Ballard’s EV Nautilus ship that is dedicated to exploration. She also spent a week as a JASON teacher argonaut in the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest where she learned about insect biodiversity and walked along the canopy walkway. Each spring, Jane brings groups of students to Prudence Island in the Narragansett Bay where they can observe the effects of sea level rise on the coastlines of Rhode Island. Jane earned a B.S., magna cum laude, from the University of Rhode Island in elementary education and a M.Ed. from Providence College in secondary special education. She is certified in elementary education and middle school science education.

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