Decatur science teacher to pursue doctorate at West Virginia University
DECATUR — Elaine Christman entered teaching to make a difference and to bring her excitement for physics and science to students.
“I think a lot of teachers get into teaching because they like kids, but that actually wasn’t me,” Christman, one of two science teachers at Decatur High School, said. “I was passionate about science, and I wanted to share that with others.”
Christman, however, has left Decatur this year to pursue a Ph.D. in physics education at West Virginia University. Her path to WVU has traversed in and out of the classroom, leading her in unanticipated directions.
Christman has always had a passion for science. From her start as an undergraduate student at the University of Arkansas, she pursued that passion to the fullest. She declared a major in physics, became close with the faculty in the physics department, and had her sights set on conducting scientific research. She became especially close with John and Gay Stewart, a husband-and-wife duo who taught at UA while Christman was an undergraduate student and who now teach at the West Virginia University. Christman will soon be reunited with the Stewarts at WVU, where she will pursue a doctorate in physics education, an area in which the Stewarts specialize.
“They know me as a human being,” Christman said about her relationship with them. “I am going somewhere where I am going to be working with people who know the reasons
that I might fail and are still full of belief that I will succeed.”
John, who served on the thesis committee that advised Christman’s undergraduate research, is an associate professor at WVU and will be her research advisor. Gay, who was Christman’s undergraduate academic advisor at UA, is now the Eberly Professor of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education at WVU. Their research focuses on classroom function and retention.
Coincidentally, while Christman feverishly studied physics at UA, she expanded her range of potential career paths by stumbling into a new interest — teaching.
In her final year at UA, Christman signed up to be a teacher’s assistant for an introductory physics course. As a teacher’s assistant, she directed 25 students in performing weekly laboratory experiments, introducing them to new topics and guiding the learning process. She became familiar with the role of a teacher, motivating her to proactively better her students’ learning experience.
In 2008, Christman graduated with a degree in physics, just as planned. But instead of directly enrolling in graduate school, she chose to join Teach for America, a nonprofit organization that recruits high-performing college graduates to teach in underserved schools.
TFA also serves as an alternative licensing program for graduates considering careers in teaching. Members serve two-year terms at schools throughout the U.S. TFA assigned Christman to Central High School in the Helena-West Helena School District to teach courses as an Amgen Fellow. Each year, the Amgen Foundation, an international organization that promotes improvements in science and math education, selects 100 TFA members to receive additional funding and support. While at Central, she taught two courses and was an assistant Quiz Bowl coach. Christman’s time at Central, however, was brief.
Having completed the full two-year assignment, Christman felt it was time to re-enter the role of a student, taking a year’s worth of under graduate and graduate-level courses at UA. During this short time, Christman searched for doctorate programs so that she could conduct physics research. She received an acceptance letter from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, which has one of the nation’s best graduate physics programs. U.S. News & World Report ranks its program as No. 9 for its academic rigor and worldclass faculty.
On top of her acceptance to one of the best physics research programs in the nation, the National Science Foundation awarded Christman a fellowship through its graduate research fellowship program, a prestigious fellowship program that receives over 10,000 applications annually. To Chrisman, everything seemed to be falling into place. She was working toward a Ph.D. at a top university, receiving financial support, and studying a topic she found interesting — protein folding.
“I though protein folding was one of the big, exciting research areas of the first half of the century, and I still think it is,” Christman said.
Although all seemed well at this time, Christman felt incomplete. Due to restrictions placed by the GRFP, Christman was not allowed to be a TA. To her, it was an unwarranted restriction that denied her something she cherished.
“I really missed that part of my life,” she said.
But losing the opportunity to teach was not the only thing weighing heavy on her mind. She just wasn’t enjoying graduate school.
“I was in exactly the lab I wanted, doing exactly the work that I thought I wanted to do, and I wasn’t really happy,” Christman said. “And then, my life changed.”
Christman went in for a routine health checkup and learned she had a mass in its early stages that could eventually become cancer. The mass’s discovery set Christman on edge, throwing all of her plans into question.
“I was very lucky they caught things early,” she said.
In the summer of 2012, just one year into graduate school, Christman took a leave of absence for the upcoming semester. The surgeries required to remove the mass and the uncertainty that accompanies it had forced Christman to return to her parents’ house in Prairie Grove to address her physical and mental health. During this time, the mass was successfully removed, and Christman soon began weighing her options: continue toward a Ph.D. or pursue other passions.
“At that point, I was contemplating that I didn’t know how long my life was going to be,” she said. “Having a semester off and having time to think, I realized what I wanted to do was to get back into the classroom.”
Christman searched for job openings in Northwest Arkansas, applying to schools that might be underserved in science and mathematics. She wanted to teach where she would have the greatest impact, and she accepted her first offer, a position at Decatur High School.
Compared to Central, Christman taught a larger variety of classes at Decatur, teaching five different courses instead of just two. She also became more involved. As a class advisor, student council advisor, Quiz Bowl coach, teacher and mentor, Christman had more opportunities to shape students’ experiences.
Marck Guadarrama, a former student and now Decatur’s technology assistant, says Christman served as an academic and personal advisor throughout his time in high school and that she continues to do so even after graduation.
“She kept encouraging me to study in a math class that I was struggling in,” Guadarrama said, referring to a college-level calculus course he recently took at Northwest Arkansas Community College. “She stayed after school to help me study, and even prepared a few lessons.”
Christman has even given Guadarrama books and resources to help him study computer science and technology, an area in which he is hoping to receive a certification. During his junior and senior years, she advised his college application process, helping him navigate unexpected hurdles.
“Without her, I wouldn’t have probably thought of college as an actual option for me,” he said. “She encouraged me to do a lot of things … and she continues to encourage me to study.”
As a student, Guadarrama took three consecutive years of classes with Christman because he enjoyed her style and the quality of teaching. Guadarrama is saddened over her departure, but he is also glad to see one of his favorite teachers moving on to the next stage in her life.
Although Christman is ultimately excited to reenter a Ph.D. program, she has misgivings about leaving Decatur.
“I feel a lot of sadness and a little bit of guilt,” Christman said about leaving. “Every year, the reason to stay was the students.”
Even though Christman will no longer be teaching, she will still have an impact on students in the classroom. She is going to study physics education, focusing on how to improve students’ experiences with introductory courses. Christman hopes to eventually conduct research on low-income students to potentially improve the quality of education they receive.
Christman moved to Morgantown, W.V., in early July and will begin her studies in early August. She expects to complete the program within the next four to six years. Pursuing a Ph.D. in physics education is simply the next step in her life, according to Christman.
“I sometimes still question my decision,” she said. “But I’m excited about the new challenges and about the ways that I can have an impact on a lot of students, just in different ways.”