Livermore Teacher Models Lifelong Learning

From LVJUSD:For students, having a teacher they can look up to as a role model has a lasting impact as they progress through school and beyond. Nasa Cole, a Special Education teacher at East Avenue Middle School, embodies the idea of a teacher as a role model by continuing her own journey in learning and inspiring her students to regard their education as a skill to carry with them past the classroom.

She spent eight weeks of her summer break this year as an Ignited Fellow in the Lockheed Martin Military Space Business Unit in Sunnyvale. This fellowship is her fifth through Ignited – an organization that connects teachers to technology industries to gain experience and insight into techniques, equipment, and cultures of cutting-edge workplaces. “The experience I get is something I can bring back to my students,” said Cole. “There are so many different aspects of the workplace for them to be excited about and be a part of. By learning to put myself into new situations, it enables me to understand challenges students go through when learning something new.”

Gaining the perspective of someone who starts out unfamiliar with the subject they will be immersed in is a valuable experience for Cole. She worked at the Space-Based Infrared System at Lockheed Martin - an entirely new experience for her - looking into streamlining certification of product components for the project. The key is that she is mastering how to excel in any new experience, sharpening her learning skills to be nimble in whichever environment she has an interest. “It’s something that all students go through,” she said, of initially feeling lost in a new learning environment. “I’ve learned I’m able to fit into any space I’m needed.”

At the end of her fellowship, in collaboration with her mentors at Lockheed Martin - Jon Kirschenbaum, Ed Boesiger, and Maria Chau - Cole created her Education Transfer Plan (ETP) that connects her work during the fellowship to her work as an educator. Cole chose to focus on women in space exploration. She hopes to develop more exposure for women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and to stoke interest in professions in these fields. The connection to a company such as Lockheed Martin could also provide additional resources in potential field trips and other STEM programs for students that the company offers.

East Avenue Principal Mistee Guzman said, “Nasa consistently focuses on what students need to become successful adults. Her work this summer will continue to serve all students at East Avenue, helping them prepare to be successful and self-sufficient.”

Cole understands that some students may feel limited by certain subjects at school. It is important to her that they have the ability to overcome that feeling of being stuck by taking their overall understanding of learning and applying it to any challenge, which is the ultimate goal of their education in any subject. By extending her experiences, Cole hopes her students can see that what they are passionate about can be applied to anything they want to learn. When it comes time for these students to decide what to do for a living, they should feel prepared to take on anything, in part because of the model they had from their teachers.

Photo courtesy of LVJUSD