Plano West Chemistry Teacher Awarded The 2020 American Chemical Society Southwest Region High School Teaching Award

From Plano Independent School District:

October 29, 2020

Jo King, Plano West Senior High School AP chemistry team leader, is the recipient of the 2020 ACS SWRM (American Chemical Society, Southwest Region) High School Teaching Award for her outstanding contributions to high school chemistry education.

Before a teacher can win the Southwest Regional award they have to first win the ACS Local Section award. Jo is also the 2017 recipient of the Werner Schulz Award for excellence in chemistry teaching from the ACS DFW. Dr. Diana Mason, professor emeritus at the University of North Texas who nominated Jo for the ACS awards, both local DFW Section and the regional (Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma and New Mexico), along with Dr. Mihaela C. Stefan, Eugene McDermott Professor Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Texas at Dallas. According to Dr. Mason, "Jo King is by far one of the most gifted educators that I've ever had the privilege to work with. She is an excellent student of chemistry and a very gifted teacher! Her drive, initiative, work habits, character and performance all carry the highest level of distinction. In all honesty I am unaware of any high school teacher in the Southwest Region that has performed at her level."

Jo has a self-professed passion for AP chemistry and has been teaching chemistry throughout her entire 33-year career, including on-level, pre-AP, AP, dual credit, organic and biochemistry. The 2020-21 school year marks her second year at Plano West where she is also the ChemClub and Key Club sponsor.

A former student had this to say regarding her time in Jo's chemistry class and the impact it made, “She did not only teach me chemistry, she taught me life lessons along the way. She went above and beyond teaching expectations and taught me how to work hard, persevere, and most of all, to believe in myself. I had her class two years in a row. The first time for just normal chemistry, and the second time for dual credit for college. Those were the two hardest classes I have ever taken in my life, but by the end of them I was thankful and still am today. Every day during the school year, my whole class would go get food for lunch and then we would sit in Mrs. King’s class working on problems or asking questions, and every day Mrs. King would be there to help or correct or just give words of encouragement. She was hard on us, and expected nothing less than our best."

Jo King received her B.S. in psychology with a minor in chemistry from Midwestern State University, her M.A. in religion from Wayland Baptist University,and her M.S. in chemistry/chemistry education from the University of North Texas. She is an active member of the chemical education community and currently the co-chair for the Pre-College Committee for the Division of Chemical Education for the American Chemical Society.

Dr. Mason has described Jo as "...a Renaissance woman. She is quite proficient in teaching chemistry and her pedagogical content knowledge is superior. Her broad-based academic preparation including studies in psychology, English, and religion in addition to chemistry makes her without a doubt a lifelong learner, a vital model that she is able to impart to her students to inspire them to always continue to learn. Her depth of knowledge of what is considered disparate spheres is also another reason that her unique skills are frequently called upon to write questions and develop curricula for several national and state organizations including the Texas Education Agency (TExES)."

Her scientific/educational memberships include:

• American Chemical Society
• ACS Division of Chemical Education
• American Association of Chemistry Teachers
• National Science Teachers Association
• Science Teachers Association of Texas
• Associated Chemistry Teachers of Texas
• Texas Classroom Teachers Association

The winner of this regional award is selected based on the following attributes:

• The quality of the nominee’s teaching; unusually effective methods of presentation should be emphasized;
• The nominee’s ability to challenge and inspire students;
• Extracurricular work in chemistry or a chemical science by the nominee, including science fairs, science clubs, and activities that stimulate the interest of young people in chemistry and related sciences;
• A willingness to keep up-to-date in the field, as evidenced by the pursuit of a higher degree in chemistry or a chemical science, enrollment in refresher courses and summer institutes, regular attendance at scientific meetings, membership in professional organizations, and other means of self-improvement;
• Evidence of leadership and/or active involvement within the profession.

Regional awardees receive a monetary award, plaque and invitation to the awards banquet (the banquet will not take place this year due to COVID-19 concerns). Jo expresses her thanks to Lisa Carrigan, Plano West assistant principal, and David Carroll, science department chair, for helping her adjust to her new teaching role in Plano ISD.

This press release was produced by Plano Independent School District. The views expressed here are the author’s own.