- Andrea Gale, Rhodes College and Career Academy, Cleveland Metropolitan Schools

“Ms. Bierstedt brings biology to life for each of her students every single day. Most importantly, she remembers the most important part of any biological system is its heart.”

-Andrea Gale

The old saying, "Those who can't do, teach,'' is completely off-target when it comes to Ms. Stephanie Bierstedt: biology teacher extraordinaire. In her classroom, every centimeter of space challenges, engages, and respects students. She is 100% invested in creating an environment and designing experiences to support the whole child and mastery of learning. 

Ms. Bierstedt (Ms. B) first got my attention through her project where students role-played crime scene investigators to determine which teacher had committed a "crime." They questioned staff and students, filling notebooks with evidence.

As a veteran teacher with a 37-year career, I envied Ms. Bierstedt's practice. So, I set out to learn the secret of her success.

I started with a gallery walk through her classroom and found that learning starts at the threshold of Ms. B's door. There, students are greeted by a poster of Henrietta Lacks and a list of her contributions to science. Next, I noticed the bulletin board filled with pictures of her life outside of the classroom situated behind her desk. The board establishes her space and allows students to get to know her as a person. As I walked the classroom perimeter, I saw student work posted, student-generated class procedures, and Ms. B's artistic diagrams of biological concepts adorning the windows; students are encouraged to add to them as they learn new concepts.

Social Emotional Learning is the most important aspect of Ms. B's practice. From the moment she arrives in the building, she is available for tutoring or heart-to-heart conversations with students. Ms. B frequently eats lunch in the classroom with her students. Meaningful celebrations abound in her classroom. At Thanksgiving, she made a turkey dinner with all of the trimmings for her students. To celebrate Christmas, she handmade scarves and soaps for each student. She sees students first as human beings, then as scholars. Still, she is a rigorous instructor who expects excellence from her kids.

Ms. B. creates effective learning targets and communicates them to her students. Students use manipulatives to organize information learned the day before in teams. Teams are grouped by learning style and personality type and change every three weeks. As the year progresses, tasks become more competitive and they build camaraderie among the students. She meets weekly with individual students to analyze their data and encourage their success.

Ms. B. aligns her lessons with The Whole Brain teaching method. While the method was developed for elementary students, she thinks many teachers forget that, even though they look and act like adults, high schoolers are still children. Therefore, even a mundane task such as guided notes finds the kids repeating words, learning short songs, answering questions in teams, and drawing eyeballs on important terminology. The eyeballs are a running joke in her classroom. Kids compete to see who can put them on the most concepts.

Ms. B makes learning accessible for all students by using many modalities: YouTube shorts, drawings, written representations, guided notes, short songs, mimicking words, and team-talk. The majority of her work can be accessed virtually and in print. Inclusion is a big goal for her.

Her class motto is: "We are a family, you may not like everyone in your family, but you do have to respect them." Because of the community she's created, students feel free to seek assistance as both scholars and human beings.

Ms. B brings biology to life for each of her students every single day. Most importantly, she remembers the most important part of any biological system is its heart.

Teachers Honor Teachers

The Martha Holden Jennings Foundation launched a new program last fall inviting teachers to recognize a colleague they know is doing exceptional work in the classroom.

In the above post, Andrea Gale expresses her admiration for fellow teacher, Stephanie Bierstedt. Thank you to both educators for your dedication to students and for taking the time to showcase what it means to deliver challenging, innovative, and student-centered lessons that result in powerful and deep learning.

Through the Teachers Honor Teachers Program, The Foundation is seeking Ohio public school teachers to share great things about a teaching colleague in an Ohio public school that ensures deep learning for students. If we choose to post your story, we will award $500 toward that teacher's classroom for their great work and $500 toward your classroom for honoring their excellence. Apply here.