President-Elect Candidates
Stacey Balbach
Cuba City, WI
Years of experience: 20-30
Current grade levels taught: 10, 11, 12
Science Teaching Philosophy
My teaching is rooted in John Dewey’s belief that the child is the “starting point, the center, and the end.” I use my passion for science to spark curiosity, build academic resilience, and empower student agency. Equity and engagement guide every decision, from culturally responsive lessons to intentional dialogue that fosters sensemaking and critique. I emphasize epistemic agency and community-based learning, helping students connect science to their lives and society. Grounded in trust and high expectations, my classroom cultivates ownership, collaboration, and relevance. As both teacher and leader, I strive to inspire growth, integrity, and transformative learning for all.
Why I Want to Serve
I want to serve in this capacity to help lead the transformative era of science education we are currently experiencing. As a passionate chemistry educator with nearly three decades of experience, I see this moment as pivotal. National conversations on equity, brain research, and student-centered learning have redefined our profession. New pedagogy has empowered students to explore phenomena through scientific practices and reflection, not memorization. I have seen firsthand how this shift ignites curiosity and increases academic resilience in my rural classroom.
The American Association of Chemistry Teachers plays a vital role in shaping this future, and I am eager to contribute. My teaching philosophy, rooted in culturally responsive practices and anchored in NGSS, aligns with AACT’s mission to advance chemical education. My students engage in meaningful sensemaking, collaborate using consensus models, and use real-world data to support their claims. I have shared this work in national presentations, publications, and collaborative PLCs, always striving to amplify best practices.
Serving in a leadership role with AACT would allow me to support a diverse community of educators, promote equity in chemistry classrooms, and help shape resources and initiatives that center around student voice and engagement. It would also allow me to grow as a collaborator, learning from others equally dedicated to reimagining science education. I am excited to bring both my classroom perspective and systems-level insight to this role, supporting chemistry teachers across the country in their efforts to empower the next generation of scientists.
My AACT Contributions
As an active member of the American Association of Chemistry Teachers since its founding in 2014, I have contributed in numerous ways that reflect my deep commitment to advancing chemistry education and building a professional community. I have authored several NGSS-aligned resources for AACT, including "Integrating NGSS and STEM in the Classroom" (2017), "Making Sense of Milk" (2019), "Ozone Layer" (2021), and "Strategies for Equitable Student Collaboration Using Jamboard" (2022). These resources offer innovative strategies and equity-centered instruction approaches to engage students with real-world science phenomena.
I was honored to be featured in the AACT Member Spotlight in 2023, recognizing my work promoting student-centered, phenomenon-driven chemistry instruction. As a High School Ambassador (2021-2022), I supported new members, fostered connections, and helped amplify teacher voices. I co-presented the 2023 AACT webinar "Lessons from Teaching Chemistry and Physics Simultaneously," sharing strategies for interdisciplinary instruction that meet diverse students' needs. My contributions extend to AACT's partnership publications with ACS, having served on the ChemMatters Content Writing Team (2019) and the ChemMatters Policy Board, where I helped shape engaging, real-world chemistry content for students.
Additionally, I participated in the AACT/ACS DEIR Strategic Planning Session in 2022, helping to shape actionable steps toward equity and inclusion within the field. Through publishing, presenting, and contributing to policy and content, I strive to support and uplift the mission of AACt by building a more inclusive, collaborative, and innovative chemistry education community.
Sarah English
Amherst, NY
Years of experience: 20-30
Current grade levels taught: 9, 10, 11, 12
Science Teaching Philosophy
My teaching philosophy centers upon communication, collaboration and community in a safe and supportive learning environment. My goal is to empower all individuals in my classroom to embrace the idea of building communities of shared learning through collaborative practices while exploring place-based chemistry phenomena. Assuring every student has a voice and contributes to a conversation is key to building relationships and shared learning experiences. In this aspect, my mission is to encourages them to ask questions and challenge ideas while fostering a sense of curiosity, discovery and excitement.
Why I Want to Serve
Chemistry educators are my favorite people. Over the past twenty-five years in the classroom, I’ve had the privilege of meeting many fascinating individuals who are passionate about different aspects of chemistry education. Whether it’s been through online platforms like Bluesky, local high school meetups, STANYS sessions, national level presentations such as NSTA and ChemEd, or AP Teach breakout rooms, my interactions with fellow chemistry teachers have been consistently positive and inspiring. A recurring theme in these conversations is that many chemistry teachers feel isolated as they are often the only one teaching the subject in their school. Without colleagues to collaborate with, they struggle to access ongoing support and share strategies, particularly as three-dimensional learning becomes more central to science education. With input from the existing executive committee and governing board, I would like to explore the possibility of creating a connected, personal and supportive environment for chemistry educators who feel like they are teaching in isolation. By harnessing the strength of the AACT community, we can generate new ways to connect, collaborate, and uplift each other—especially for those who need it most. I’ve personally experienced the power of collaboration through my unique partnership with my brother Rob, who is also a chemistry teacher. Together, we have developed, tested, and refined effective instructional content that has elevated our teaching and benefited our students. I hope to bring that same spirit of collaboration and shared growth to others through my service on the AACT Executive Committee.
My AACT Contributions
I have been a proud member of AACT since 2014. I still remember how excited I was to discover a website dedicated to curating chemistry resources specifically for classroom teachers. In 2017, I started an ACS Chemistry Club at my school, following the ACS guidelines. I was thrilled when, in 2020, Chemistry Club resources were integrated into the AACT website. Having everything in one place made those resources even more accessible and useful for teachers like me who wanted to be able to see what other chemistry club advisors were doing with their groups. My first personal contribution to the AACT community came in July 2020. I presented at the Virtual Summer Symposium: Simulations to Enhance Chemical Instruction on my experience using ChemCollective simulations. This was also my first time presenting in a virtual setting. In February 2023, our Chemistry Club was featured in the AACT Spotlight. The students were thrilled to share their experiences and talk with someone from AACT about what they loved about the club. Just over a year later, in April 2024, I was honored to be featured in the AACT Member Spotlight. That reflective experience made me realize how deeply I value being a part of the AACT community. On February 16th, 2023 I worked with Jeramy DeBry to present the webinar “Engaging All Students with a Chemistry of Gases Storyline”. I loved presenting to a small group about developing and using storylines through the use of digital interactive notebooks.
Shannon Smith
Cincinnati, OH
Years of experience: 20-30
Current grade levels taught: 10, 11, 12
Science Teaching Philosophy
Rosalind Franklin famously stated that “science and everyday life cannot and should not be separated”. I create a classroom where students learn chemistry content while developing the ability to make evidence-based claims with confidence, which prepares them to make informed decisions for themselves and others later in life. Regardless of the career path a student chooses, science literacy and reasoning skills are invaluable tools for adulthood. My purpose is to create an environment where students develop those tools and learn to see science not as a class but as lens through which to understand and participate in their world.
Why I Want to Serve
I have been teaching chemistry for nearly 20 years in a variety of school settings, and I understand the importance of educators supporting each other. I believe that one of the best ways to serve our students is to have happy, qualified, productive teachers in classrooms. Organizations like AACT help make this possible, providing webinars and high-quality classroom resources and the like offered by skilled educators who are part of a supportive community. If I can use my classroom experience and my joy of teaching to support my colleages as President-Elect of AACT, I would be honored to do so.
My AACT Contributions
I served the AACT Governing Board as the High School Ambassador during the 2023-2024 school year. I have also contributed to Chemistry Solutions and have shared activities AACT classroom resources . I have been happy to contribute in these ways, and I feel that I have more to offer. The President-Elect position description lists organizational and networking tasks that keep the AACT running, and both speak to my strengths. As someone who completed a doctoral program in education while teaching full-time and raising two children, I can say that I am highly organized and time-efficient. I would represent AACT well in a networking capacity, as I am familiar with chemistry education strategies and because I understand the viewpoint of the chemistry educator. Furthermore, I always enjoy working with colleagues to design curriculum that challenges the young scientists in our classrooms and prepares them for the choices they will make for themselves and for the common good.