Wai Chin Ng, a fifth-grade classroom teacher at the Josiah Quincy Elementary School in Boston, Massachusetts, was recently awarded the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching in 2011. The award is the highest recognition a K–12 math or science teacher can receive. “This award brings great joy and honor to our school and our city,” said Quincy Elementary Principal Simon Ho. “Mr. Ng believes that every student has a scientist inside them that is waiting to be unleashed; it is our job to make it as easy as possible for our students to open this door of discovery.”

Photo credit: Fannie Ng

He began his teaching career in the same school 18 years ago. He’s learned a few important lessons along the way. For example, when I asked him how he finds time to teach all the core subjects he shared, “It is impossible to have enough minutes to cover everything. I just have to be creative at times. I find that it is actually more effective to integrate various disciplines so that learning doesn’t become so disconnected. Students enjoy project-based learning and absolutely love science. Whenever I have an opportunity, I always try to connect their learning to science.”

Wai Chin is a teacher leader for the Boston Public School Science Department. In addition to teaching FOSS, he teaches fellow BPS teachers how to teach the adopted FOSS science modules. Beverly Nadeau, the materials specialist for the science department shared, “Wai Chin Ng provides all his students, both students and teachers, with instruction that is engaging and challenging. He has developed a community of learners in his workshops and his classroom that impacts science learning in the Boston Public Schools.” About his work as a teacher leader he says, “I have many opportunities to conduct workshops for teachers, participate in professional development activities, and to reflect on my teaching. With the strong support from colleagues, administrators, and the Science Department, I feel quite confident and equipped in teaching science.”

In addition to his demanding work as a classroom teacher and a science teacher leader, he has coached a before-school robotics club for five years. They compete in regional and state championships. Some competitions require three months of preparation.

Wai Chin shared, “It was truly an honor and a humbling experience for me to visit Washington, D.C., and meet some of the nation’s dedicated leaders from groups like EPA, NASA, NSF, NOAA and the Obama administration—inspirational educators, scientists, astronauts, congressmen, and the President! This is definitely not an end of a journey but merely the beginning of another chapter on challenging myself to become a more effective teacher in impacting our future leaders.”

The entire FOSS team would like to extend our sincere appreciation for the dedication to the teaching profession that Wai Chin exemplifies. Congratulations on this tremendous achievement. Your students and the teachers you inspire to teach science well are all so lucky to have you.