Michelle Shearer, 2011 National Teacher of the Year

Michelle Shearer is an educator for the 21st century. While the Urbana, Md., high school chemistry teacher and 2011 National Teacher of the Year honed her teaching skills in STEM courses (science, technology, engineering and math), the lessons she shares inspire educators in all subjects and grade levels.

“Regardless of the latest technological advances or educational trends, each year I come back to the same central idea to anchor my teaching: that it is the human element I know to have the greatest effect in my classroom,” says Shearer.

Shearer, who holds dual certification in chemistry and special education and previously taught at the Maryland School for the Deaf, reaches out to students who have traditionally been underrepresented in scientific fields, including students with special needs and disabilities, minorities, and young women. She tells her students, “You are the chemist. Roll up your sleeves, get your hands dirty, take pride in the goggle lines on your forehead.”

A dessert reception will follow Shearer’s talk.

Co-sponsors:

Cornell Teacher Education
Ithaca College Department of Education
Cornell Employment & Disability Institute
Wells College Education Program