Future Science Teacher Award: Megan Yu

Meet Megan Yu

This award is a great honor, and receiving it has reminded me of all of the support I have received to make it to this point. I am thankful for all of the support and opportunities that mentor teachers have provided to me; they have not hesitated to answer any questions I have, create opportunities for me to learn and practice teaching, and welcome me into their community. I have been blessed to work with and learn from them, and I would not be where I am today on my teaching journey without their trust and encouragement! As I said earlier, there are still so many things for me to learn about educating students, but I am honored that CASE staff has selected me as a recipient for the Future Science Educator award. This award has been another encouragement that I am thankful to receive, and I will continue doing my best to become the best science educator I can be.

What inspired you to pursue science education as a career?
I’ve wanted to teach in some capacity since I was in elementary school, after thinking grading papers was fun. However, it was not until middle school that I realized that teaching required substantially more than just grading papers and sharing knowledge. During high school, I started exploring the possibilities of teaching math or science (partially because adults always asked, “What subject would you want to teach?” as part of the conversation about college and careers). I initially leaned towards math because I used to work for a tutoring center that taught math, but a mixture of amazing teachers, developing a plant hobby, and cool science experiments made me enjoy science more.

In college, I decided to join a teaching related club because I was still unsure what I wanted to teach, and the club happened to be UC Davis’ CalTeach Mathematics and Science Teaching program. With the wonderful classroom opportunities I had the privilege of participating in, along with interesting, science-related university coursework, I found that I enjoyed learning and teaching science! Additionally, I felt that one of the greatest appeals of teaching science is that it is a great subject to share practical, applicable information about every day phenomena, and it can be a vehicle for teaching essential skills and helping students develop values about the world.

Why are you passionate about science education?
I am passionate about science education because I believe that through science, people can learn a variety of skills, information, and ways of thinking that can equip them for success in the future! And, with these skills and information, people are also equipped to make decisions that can change our world. While other subjects and experiences are able tou teach these skills, science has resonated with me because of its relevance and applicability to most parts of my life. Science teaches us to think critically, to examine and predict the effects of our actions, to be flexible and adapt when change happens. Science explores the intricacies of life, the values of its diversity, and how we can care for and protect it. These are just a few of the things science can teach us, and I believe that having more scientifically literate and educated students in the world can make a great difference in one’s every day life, as well as on a larger scale with societal culture and policies.

How has your educational journey influenced the kind of teacher you would like to be in the future?
My educational journey has been heavily influenced by amazing teachers, and it has made me want to be more like them! Specifically, I value the genuine care, kindness, and passion that my teachers in the past have shared with me. Science courses have been difficult at times, and the compassion extended by my teachers has helped me to value the process of learning rather than just trying to achieve a good grade. Additionally, their passion for their subject along with silly quirks (that show their personality and humanity) made science so engaging! There is still much for me to learn as I continue developing my skills as an educator, but I would be delighted if I could support my students’ academic learning as well as their social-emotional wellbeing — just as my teachers have done for me!

What do you hope to accomplish in the next 5 years?
In the next 5 years, I hope to complete my teaching credential, obtain my master’s degree, and continue learning and growing into the best educator that I can be! If possible, I’d love to start making progress towards programs that would support students going abroad to explore the world around them and gain a greater respect and knowledge about biodiversity and culture. I feel that study abroad programs are common for world language courses in secondary school, but having an abroad program for the sciences is something that we typically see in post-secondary school. If students had the opportunity to experience other cultures, explore different ecosystems not found in the US, and be exposed to other countries’ solutions for handling environmental concerns, I think that would be amazing!