An afternoon at the White House

Last week, over 47,000 students in the Anchorage School District headed back to the classroom. Though every student had stories to share of their summer adventures, few could rival the tales of two of their teachers. At the end of July, Tasha Barnes, B.Ed. '97, M.Ed. '13 and Ben Walker, M.A.T. '06, met the President of the United States.

Two teachers from each state received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching (PAEMST) earlier this summer, and Alaska's awards went to two UAA education alumni. Tasha-a seventh grade math teacher at Wendler Middle School-and Ben-who teaches seventh grade science at Romig Middle School-flew to Washington, D.C. in late July to receive their award, meet other winners, talk to educational leaders, tour the White House and even shake hands with Barack Obama.

Then, "Your presence is requested at the White House"

PAEMST is the highest recognition a K-12 math or science teacher can receive. Each recipient must be nominated, along with letters of recommendation and a submitted recording of their work in the classroom. The process is lengthy-Tasha and Ben received awards last month for their 2013 nominations-but despite the two years in limbo, the summer was a whirlwind.

On July 1, they found out they won. On July 18, their presence was requested in Washington. Ten days later, their three-day recognition celebration started. Some teachers flew back from Spain or rode on horseback and hitchhiked to get back from their summer adventures in time. Tasha cancelled her trip to Hawaii, Ben found a caretaker for the kids so he and his wife Catherine (another UAA education alum) could attend and everyone set off for D.C.

The three-day trip-filled with giddy energy and fast friendships-gave teachers an opportunity to act like their students. Individual photos were scheduled like it was school picture day. The winners traveled in large groups and were occasionally asked to line up by height for group photos. They sat in class and listened attentively to guest speakers, including France Anne-Dominic Córdova, director of the National Science Foundation, and Megan Smith, the country's chief technical officer and former Google VP.

"It was a celebration, but it was also aimed at coming back and helping us grow," Ben noted. He called the three days "eye opening and inspiring," citing the energy, passion and intelligence of the national leaders they met.

After a low-key first day full of meet-and-greets and photos, day two was stacked with professional development seminars, including discussions delivered by William Phillips, Nobel laureate in physics, and DJ Patil, the nation's chief data scientist.

The third day, though, featured the trip highlight-an audience at the White House.

"Well you're a rowdy bunch"

One thing that sets teachers apart is their command of a room, and its clear Tasha and Ben excel at their jobs. Both are excellent storytellers, and to hear them recount their evening at the White House-filled with energetic anecdotes and inspired reflections-is almost as good as being there in person.

There's a distinct thrill when you look off the White House porch at the hordes of tourists beyond the gate. "I never dreamed in a million years we'd walk in the front door," Tasha recalled. "I got an overwhelming sense of American pride. There's just this excitement of how many people have walked through these doors, who they were and what influence they've had on our country."

As they stepped inside and toured the building-from Blue Room to Green Room to Red-there were plenty of selfies to snap (conveniently, on July 1-the same day award winners were notified-Michelle Obama lifted the ban on personal photos in the White House).

Eventually, the whole crew assembled on a set of risers and waited for the President to arrive. He's a busy man, and his visit was never guaranteed, but as the delay continued the energy kept rising. Sharply dressed wait staff brought in glasses of water on trays and the teachers collectively discussed whether clapping was appropriate. They opted for yes.

"He's a very affable guy, very fun," Ben said of the big moment. "We were all cheering wildly, and he said, 'Well, you're a rowdy bunch."

"We start clapping, and he starts clapping, and he asks 'Who said math and science is boring?," Tasha laughed. "Politicians are always under such a magnifying glass with the media, so they have to really watch what they're saying, but he was really personable and funny. He asked, 'What did we serve you?' and we yelled 'WATER!'

"I was crying I was laughing so hard."

Just being in the same room is a big opportunity, but it kept getting better. "He said he wanted to shake everyone's hand, and we were very relieved," Ben smiled.

So Obama made the rounds as each recipient said their name and hometown-"kind of a Miss America pageant thing," Ben joked.

Tasha watched as the line moved ever closer to Obama. "There was this exhilarated look-this is really happening!" she said. "There was an energy in the air and you feel overwhelmed. Not everyone gets to do this. This is such a blessing that we're even here!" Despite her fears of forgetting her own name, she ably shook Obama's hand. "I said, 'I'm Tasha Barnes from Anchorage, Alaska.' He said 'Whoa. You've come a long way,'" she laughed.

STEM's special role in Alaska

Although STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, math) are critical everywhere, there's a special value in Alaska, where science lives beyond every trailhead and dominates the state economy. "If they want to live in Alaska, they need science literacy," Ben said of his students. In Alaska, so many industries-like oil, mining and aviation-are STEM-centered. "People need science literacy, even if they may not be in a science field itself."

Ben has big goals for the state of STEM. "We have to break away from the image we have of science and math people, which is typically male, white and in a lab coat in front of a chalkboard with crazy equations," he said. "That's not the case anymore. There are more women in graduate level STEM programs than men. We need to profile current careers and show kids anyone can do STEM ... You don't have to go to MIT to do STEM stuff."

Tasha, too, is more energized than ever to return to the classroom after Obama's encouraging address to the teachers. One major benefit of the PAEMST events was the community that formed. "It was a really fun group of people," she said, mentioning their Facebook group where recipients can pool resources, offer advice and seek suggestions. As a teacher at Wendler, located pretty much in UAA's backyard, she hopes to continue connecting university students to careers in science and math education. She often hosts master's students during their practicum and has served on the graduate program's admissions board.

"My goal would be, if people think they want to be teachers, come over here! Get in the classroom; don't wait until the end of your program."

And now a word from the President...

Both Tasha and Ben walked away from the PAEMST awards with new ideas and valuable connections to resources in the capital. But both remain down-to-earth about their brush with the President and ready to return to the classroom. "It was exhausting, but it was so amazing," Tasha reflected.

"It was wonderful, it was a lot of fun and it was a lifetime high, but there are so many great teachers in Alaska," Ben added.

Before their meeting ended, Barack Obama offered one last piece of advice. "He's going to leave," Tasha said, "and he turns around and says...

'Hey, tell your students the President said, 'Pay attention.'"

Written by J. Besl, UAA Office of University Advancement