Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/912628
"SCIENCE IS AMAZING, BUT IT CAN ALSO BE EXTREMELY SUBJECTIVE. EVEN THE BEST FORENSICS IN THE WORLD IS JUST A GUESS." are considered "at risk," and Menshew understands this population well. Prior to teaching, he volunteered at a local juvenile justice facility to shift the path of offenders to jobs and careers. He found it so fulfilling that he sold his retail corporation (with sales in excess of $7.5 million annually), entered the teaching profession, and never looked back. at was nearly 25 years ago. His program shows excellent results. Students score higher on standardized tests in multiple subjects compared with their same-school, district and state peers. According to state data, 78 percent of students in the program were found to be "advanced" or "profi- cient" in 2013. His students share their knowledge by teaching lessons at neighboring elementary, middle and high schools. And Menshew recently created "Cocina Ciencia," which teaches Latina mothers how to perform science experiments in the kitchen with their students. As for what happened to Matthew? "I never say who done it," says Men- shew with a smile. It's mostly about the process, not the product, he explains, and this way he can reuse the sim- ulation on a different class. He isn't surprised that student groups analyz- ing the same evidence reach different conclusions about who is the murderer. " There's no right or wrong," says Menshew, who is currently studying for a doctorate in education in orga- nizational leadership at Brandman University. "It's just like a real crime, where everything is a guess and you can get everything right and go to court and someone could walk. Science is amazing, but it can also be extremely subjective. Even the best forensics in the world is just a guess." f you Google Meagan Kelly, you'll find a Google expert. She's doing amazing things in her classroom at Cedar Middle School to foster student engagement, as well as helping colleagues transition to a high-tech world. You' ll also discover she was one of 36 participants from around the world selected for the Google for Education Certified Innovator program. Applicants were chosen based on professional expe- rience, their passion for teaching and learning, their innovative use of Kelly's class often starts with student teams solving math problems in a game she created. MEAGAN KELLY Taking tech to the next level Hesperia Teachers Association SEVENTH-GRADE MATH TEACHER; AVID COORDINATOR; SCHOOL SITE TEAM TECH LEADER Hesperia Unified School District I 23 D E C E M B E R 2 017 / J A N U A R Y 2 018 Menshew's students don lab coats and goggles to study the "crime scene" for clues and evidence.