A’ndrea Fisher, Pieper Ranch’s incredible GT teacher and our 2022-2023 Teacher of the Year, has been chosen as a 2023 Grosvenor Teacher Fellow through the National Geographic Society in partnership with Lindblad Expeditions. Pieper Ranch Middle School is so proud of her prestigious achievement after making it through their competitive application process. We cannot wait to see how this unique opportunity leads to creative, insightful ways to teach her students about building a better tomorrow.
In the official press release, Amy Berquist, Vice President of Conservation, Education, and Sustainability at Lindblad Expeditions, states, “This once-in-a-lifetime expedition experience will help inform these exemplary educators’ understanding of some of the world’s most complex, diverse, and unique ecosystems, which will positively influence their curricula for years to come and play a vital role in shaping and inspiring countless students into stewards for our planet.”
Fisher has been patiently, yet excitedly waiting to be able to announce this news. Once the press release was finally published and she was able to publicly share her success, here is what she had to say.
“I am honored to have been selected as a 2023 Grosvenor Teacher Fellow. Through a collaborative partnership between the National Geographic Society and Lindblad Expeditions, 50 educators applied and were selected from hundreds for this prestigious professional development opportunity. Each fellow will embark on an expedition with the purposeful intent of bringing the world, from culture to climate and beyond, back to their classroom. Through my upcoming expedition to Indonesia, focusing on Bali, Krakatoa, and Singapore, I will collaborate with my current and incoming students as integral members of the stateside expedition team, tailoring my mission on the voyage to bring their curiosities and wonders to the forefront. With students as integral organizing team members stateside, the power of learning will be placed in their hands as we explore what sparks and fuels their explorer mindsets.”
According to the National Geographic Society, “Grosvenor Teacher Fellows are an integral part of the National Geographic community, working to further young people’s understanding of the planet and empower them to generate solutions for a healthier and more sustainable future. They help ensure that the next generation is armed with geographic knowledge and global awareness.”
Fisher just can’t help but continue to be spectacular! Last month, Fisher was chosen as the 2022-2023 Pieper Ranch Middle School Campus Teacher of the Year. Mrs. Fisher teaches Middle School GT to 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students. She is also the sponsor of the Chess Club and the Robotics Team. She has been teaching for about 18 years and in that time she has managed to touch the hearts and minds of every student that walks through her classroom door. She has a reputation among the faculty and staff for being a spark of energy with a big heart. Her creativity and passion in this profession help to foster a classroom that is excited and interested in every project.
We sat down to pick her brain and ask her where she gets her passion from, how she connects with her students, what her dream field trip would look like, and more!
What would you say is your educational philosophy?
It's all about curiosity, exploration and discovery. So, it doesn't necessarily have to be what's in a book. If you have a question about something like, “Why is the sky blue? Why do we drive on the right side of the road? How did this tree survive a hurricane?” Those are questions that we are more willing to foster when kids are little. But as they get older, we dismiss those as frivolous. We say, “We don't need to worry about that right now,” and they just learn to accept that things are the way they are. If we constantly accept the way things are, then nothing ever changes, and sometimes we need something to change. So, my philosophy really is that the individual person, kid or adult, is in charge of their learning and if we can help inspire light or the curiosity to ask why or why not, that’s what I feel is what we need to be doing in school. Curious kids grow up to be inventive adults - outside the box, creative thinkers that end up taking our society somewhere else instead of just saying, “Well, this is how it is. I'm just going to accept that.” With that, I'm not going to give you the answer to why the sky is blue. Let's go figure it out. You have to explore and try to find the answers yourself. If you have been force fed answer after answer you don't develop those critical thinking skills. You don't develop those skills to discover on your own.
What have you learned about your students from your time in your classroom?
The kids just want someone to hear them. They want someone to listen to them. Sometimes they're super excited about something that has nothing to do with what we're learning, but no one is willing just to let them get it out. I may have been the only person all day that let them talk because everyone else says, “No, you do what your parents say. You do what this teacher says. You do what this adult says.” Eventually, then they realize, “Okay, well, it doesn't matter. I'm just supposed to follow along, be a little minion, and not really share what I have to say.” But, when you see kids already shut down by middle school, it’s sad. That means all through elementary school and middle school people kept giving that same impression. It's kind of hard to think when they grow up, will they feel confident enough to speak? It's like they've lost their curiosity, or they've just learned to think that no one really wants to hear them.
Where do you get your passion for teaching from?
Originally, I wanted to be a coach. I liked to play soccer, that was my passion. The whole thing was always about growing those kids and helping them to figure out who they are, what's important to them, and how to be the best version of themselves. I want you to grow as a person. I want you to grow in your voice and be able to speak up about things that matter to you so that you're not being silenced because society tells you you're too young.
What advice would you share with teachers who are just beginning their careers?
Don't compare yourself to anyone else. The biggest struggle I had when I came into multiple different schools was trying to be someone else. I realized that I ended up trying to be something I wasn't. It wasn't authentic. It wasn't me. When I chilled out and realized it's okay to be weird, goofy, and to do stuff a little differently, I relaxed. The kids relaxed. They learned better.
How has your role as a teacher evolved over the 18 years you’ve been in the classroom?
The level at which I've taught has varied from preschool to elementary school to middle school to college. It always goes back to this. The most important thing when a kid comes to school is not that they master everything that they were being taught one hundred percent. It is more so that we can help them figure out how to think instead. So, if different situations are not just simple black and white answers, how would you deal with that? If they are only used to black and white situations, they can't critically think for themselves.
Talk more about how your teaching style has changed throughout these years.
Like I mentioned, I tried to fit the mold that everyone else said made you successful. I can be the quiet, contemplative person, but that's not how I engage best with kids and relate to them. So we get loud. We make messes, and more often than not, we're really bad about cleaning them up. But the fact that kids can say, “Oh, I remember when we did Science Friday when I was in your first grade class!” Was it a little chaotic at times? Yes, but those things have stuck with them over the years, even though they were young and little. I learned to relax the death grip of control that all teachers want to have, because we all want the quiet class and we all want the class that will follow the directions. But that's not always how kids learn the best and actually make the memories that they hold on to.
So many students admire you. How do you make those connections?
I went through school as the quiet, introverted kid who wasn't one to stand out. I didn't want attention brought to me unless it was in soccer. There's so many times I can remember where I wish I had been a bigger person and stood up for something but I didn't. So, from the beginning of my coaching and education journey, I've gotten to the point of like, you know what? I'm weird. That's it. I'm awkward and it’s okay to embrace that. I work with middle school kids who are weird and awkward. So, I think the fact that I come to school dressed in Hawaiian shirts, dressed as a T-Rex, or take them around on “Speak like a Pirate Day“ shows them it's okay to be goofy. I think that helps build these relationships, showing it is ok to be different and unique.
If you could take the students on a field trip to anywhere in the world, where would you take them?
It's definitely going to be somewhere outdoors, but that’s a hard question. There's so many different places. I suppose it is not necessarily about the place as much as the mindset going into it. Whether we went outdoors in the woods here at school, went to a jungle, went to the coast, we would be curious and ready to explore. If we could rewind time and just go back and play like kids, imagine the first time we ever went into the woods and think about how cool it felt. “I'm going to build a Fort over here! We're going to attack your land! Let's play house!” I don't know if the location matters as much as helping the kids to see how to let go of how you are supposed to act and focus more on just letting your inner kid out.
How do you think students will remember you and your class?
I hope they remember it is okay to be a little goofy and different. It’s okay to act like a little kid on occasion. It's not so much what I think they remember about me as much as hopefully how I made them feel. I hope they felt they could be themselves, they felt they could ask questions (even if they sometimes ask way too many), they could just try something different and that was okay.
Again, everyone here at Pieper Ranch is so excited for Mrs. Fisher’s special, impressive opportunity. We wish her luck and safe travels on her expedition this summer. It would be hard to find someone more deserving of this honor. Congratulations on the fellowship and congratulations on receiving Campus Teacher of the Year, Mrs. Fisher!