Emma is determined to inspire her students
A BARNSLEY chemistry teacher, who won a Royal Society of Chemistry prize, is aiming to get her students as passionate about science as she is.
Dr Emma Owens teaches at Horizon Community College in Barnsley after changing career from research four years ago.
She won the Royal Society of Chemistry Early Career Prize for Secondary and Further Education ‘for demonstrating outstanding skills and knowledge in curriculum design, practical chemistry and contextualisation’.
Through extracurricular activities, Emma has helped to get students inspired about science and has enabled them to catch up on lost practical learning caused by the pandemic.
She was appointed to a teaching and learning role within the science department after 19 months of teaching, due to her outstanding work ethic, high standards and outward thinking approach to teaching science.
Emma has been shortlisted for a
Proud of Barnsley award and was described as ‘inspirational’ by those who nominated her.
“I do love my job and I think that comes across in my teaching,” said Emma.
“Some students that don’t love science still enjoy my lessons because I am passionate about it and that comes across.
“I do a lot of extracurricular science activities which the students absolutely love.”
Her after-school sessions have drawn unprecedented numbers and practical sessions have included dissection of heart and lungs, making a rainbow using acids, alkalis and indicator, extracting DNA from peas, testing food for key nutrient groups and making/firing water rockets.
“I want to be that teacher where people think, as adults, I remember Dr Owens.
“She really cared how I did in her lessons, she really cared about how I was doing and what I would do with my life.”