Nancy Fohner

I'm Nancy Fohner, 7th grade science teacher at Peterson Middle School, new partner teacher to Mr. Heumann, being dragged relentlessly into the technology age. I am totally looking forward to the summer institute and all the new things to learn! This is my 3rd year of teaching 7th grade, 8th teaching overall. I love being at Peterson where interesting things are always happening. We have a beautiful 2 acre Nature Area outside our classrooms and I get to work out there one period a day and lead, with the help of my 7th graders (next years 8th graders!), field trips for the elementary schools around. I take 60 kids to the Catalina Island Marine Institute every Feb. (that's me on the ferry dock), I have an astronomy club, a GAINS club, I love crafts, and I teach parts of a science and math camp for 7th grade girls every summer. I live in Gilroy and this is the first time in 18 years that I will not be the lead volunteer at the Volunteer Entrance Gate for the Garlic Festival--I will be taking the Biodiversity class run by John Muir Laws in Fish Camp. Yeah! (But if anyone is interested in working a shift, let me know--you get free admission and food.) I will also be taking a great class on writing in science with some of the Science and English teachers and the librarian from Peterson.

I was born in New York, but spent much of my school years overseas--the longest was Beirut for 5 years ('61-'67). I went to college at Smith College in Mass. and Cornell in New York where I managed to remain a student until I was 32 (my degrees are in nutrition and biochemistry). Thanks to my generous husband, I was able to stay home (whatever that means for a full-time volunteer) for 15 years with my two children, until we needed more money for their education. My son returns from 1 1/2 years in Australia tomorrow! My daughter--with a Master's Degree in Immunology--is a camp counselor at Stanford Family Camp for one more summer

This summer I have a personal trainer and I have found Zumba--a great exercise routine. I'm getting ready to go backpacking, my passion. I hiked across Catalina on the new Trans-Catalina Trail this spring.

I love to teach--the students are so inspiring, there is always something to learn, and there is never a dull moment. My learning style is probably mostly auditory but also visual and kinesthetic. I try to accomodate all learning styles in my classroom. I find science is perfect for all students. Chris and I will be teaching an honors science class next year and I hope so much to learn advanced tools to bring to that class and more than that, new ways to help the regular classes learn and appreciate science. I look forward to meeting and working with all of you!