Spring has sprung, with May around the corner. As we celebrate students’ accomplishments, it’s also a perfect moment to celebrate the educators who make that growth possible—especially the teachers who help students see science not as a set of facts to memorize, but as a way to make sense of the world.

Teachers are the backbone of our school systems—public and private. They show up every day to create safe, supportive learning spaces where students can grow. They do more than teach the basics; they help students build the skills and confidence to apply what they learn, and they model curiosity along the way. That steady sense of wonder can spark possibility in every student, whether they’re observing patterns in nature, testing a new idea, or using technology to “travel” to the moon with astronauts or explore the ocean floor without getting wet.

Science teachers, in particular, navigate misinformation and misunderstandings, and they still shine. They invite students to inquire, imagine, and innovate, helping them ask good questions, weigh evidence, and revise their thinking as they learn more. In labs, projects, and everyday classroom moments, teachers make room for productive struggle and joyful discovery, building critical-thinking and problem-solving skills that will serve students long after this school year ends. Through thoughtful planning and hands-on learning, they help students connect science to real life: local ecosystems, community health, climate and energy, and technologies shaping our future.

Every day, teachers arrive prepared to take their students places beyond their imagination while nurturing a lifelong love of learning. Their work deserves to be seen and celebrated. 

This May, we invite you to share a note of thanks with a teacher who helped you (or your student) feel capable in science. Share your message on social media, tagging @NSTA and using #ThankATeacher. 

I’m especially grateful to my parents, Ruth Caldwell and Jack H. DeVore, who encouraged me to follow my heart.

• My mom, a vocal music major, later became an expert at identifying Rocky Mountain flora simply out of a desire to learn.
• My dad, a forest ranger, taught me ecology and ecosystem health on every trip into the woods.

Their passion for learning—and for sharing what they learned—helped shape my lifelong love of learning.

I’m also thankful for the teachers and professors who encouraged my independence, critical thinking, and curiosity:

• Catherine Thompson (first grade)
• Burl Gonion (seventh-grade science)
• Miss Biddle (high school English)
• Numerous college professors
• Colleagues throughout my teaching career
• My NSTA science family

Thank you to everyone who has encouraged my curiosity and learning. Thank your educator heroes today!

Beverly R. DeVore-Wedding, PhD, is president of NSTA and a 2024 Education Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She has more than 30 years of experience teaching high school and community college math and science in Colorado, and has served as a science curriculum developer, chemistry instructor, and lab coordinator at Nebraska Indian Community College, as well as a teacher educator at Adams State University. Most recently, she taught science remotely at Nebraska Indian Community College from 2023 to 2025. She holds degrees in botany and science education from the University of Wyoming, a master’s in science education from Montana State University, and a PhD in Teaching, Curriculum, and Learning from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

The mission of NSTA is to transform science education to benefit all through professional learning, partnerships, and advocacy.