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Cindy Plunkett; Boxborough, MA
 "My
father was an elementary school biology teacher and a principal and my
mother was a nursery school teacher, so I guess it was in the blood. And
I’ve always loved children, so it’s a fun profession.”
School at a Glance:
Blanchard Memorial School, Boxborough, MA
Grades: K-6
Enrollment: 630
Students per Teacher: 24
Ethnicity:
82% White
15% Asian
3% Hispanic
1% African American
Percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch: 2% versus
a state average of 29%
Cindy Plunkett teaches first grade at the Blanchard Memorial
School in Boxboro, Massachusetts. It is located in rural Middlesex County,
about 30 miles west of Boston.
Blanchard is a Title 1 school that identifies itself as a ”STARR
Program School,” whose values are Support, Teamwork, Attitude, Responsibility
and Respect.
Cindy remembers her early interest in science began as a
result of growing up near a pond. “I’m naturally drawn to the outdoors
and I enjoy hiking with my kids. We were identifying plants this week and
observing
their changes through the seasons. I guess that’s what keeps me interested
in science.”
Cindy uses the National Science Resources Center “Science
and Technology for Children” curriculum extensively. She particularly
values the teacher’s guides, which she says, “pretty clearly
spell out the concepts that I want to teach.” In addition, she
says, “I
study before I teach my lessons and use a number of different resources
to gain my background knowledge — reference materials and the Internet — to
find out more information.” Cindy also networks outside in the
community, where she has taught for 20 years, inviting scientists and
naturalists
to come and speak to her students.
She says that she can’t over-emphasize
the importance of taking into consideration children’s prior ideas: “I
think that children come with a lot of background information. Helping
them to sort it all
out and listening as they construct and develop their knowledge about
the world about around them is rewarding, and an important part of teaching
science.
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