AACT Member Spotlight: Jamie Flint



Every month AACT spotlights a passionate member who is dedicated to enhancing chemistry inside and outside the classroom. This month, we spotlight Jamie Flint. She teaches Chemistry and AP Chemistry at Spring Woods High School in Houston, Texas. 

Tell us about yourself.

I’ve been teaching chemistry for 22 years at Spring Woods High School in Houston, where I also serve as the National Honor Society sponsor. I hold a Master’s degree in Chemical Education from South Dakota State University, and I’m an AP Chemistry Reader and College Board consultant.

Outside the classroom, I love traveling with my husband—we’ve visited all seven continents, with South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands standing out as one of the most magical places we’ve ever experienced. We especially enjoy observing wildlife in their natural habitats and exploring beautiful, remote landscapes. Traveling recharges me and provides real-world examples I can bring back to my students, helping them see how chemistry comes alive beyond the textbook.

What fuels your passion for science and teaching?

My students fuel my passion for teaching. For many of them, chemistry is one of the first subjects where they truly begin to struggle, and helping them learn to persevere when a concept doesn’t come easily is an essential life skill. That moment when a student finally says, “Oh, that’s all?” after working through the challenge is incredibly rewarding.

I want my AP Chemistry students to feel confident and prepared going into the exam, and anything I can do to support them through that process motivates me. I also love finding new ways to engage students and breaking down difficult topics so they feel accessible and meaningful.

What topic do you find hardest for students? How do you teach it? 

For many of my AP Chemistry students, buffers and titrations are some of the most challenging topics in the course. I didn’t fully understand why until I was in my master’s program, where several members of my cohort, who had never taught AP Chemistry, struggled with these concepts as well. To help all of us make sense of the decision-making process, I created a “What Do I Do?” flowchart based on the possible scenarios in the container. By the time I finished, there were thirteen different pathways, which made it clear why students often feel overwhelmed.

To support students, I teach them to annotate what is in the container before doing any calculations. For example, if a problem states that hydrochloric acid is added to a solution of ammonia and ammonium chloride, students label each species as SA, WB, and WA, respectively. This gives them a visual cue for determining who reacts and why. Throughout the unit, I intentionally move students between the macroscopic (labs and demos), particulate representations, and calculations so they develop a full conceptual understanding.

I begin with a demonstration showing how a buffer resists changes in pH, because without this anchoring phenomenon, the calculations can feel meaningless. Students then analyze particle diagrams to decide whether a mixture represents a buffer. During titrations, they use pH probes to generate their own titration curves, and we spend significant time interpreting the curve and examining what is in the container at each stage.

Although the topic remains challenging, understanding why students struggle allows me to break the concepts down in ways that make the chemistry more accessible. With structure, visuals, and multiple representations, students are better able to connect the ideas and build confidence in their problem-solving.

What do you do to remain current and bring the latest science into the classroom?

I often attend the Texas state science conference, CAST, in the Fall. The Associated Chemistry Teacher of Texas (ACT2) hosts a biennial chemistry conference in the summer of even years that I’ve attended since I began teaching. I also try to attend ChemEd in the summer of odd years. By attending and presenting at these conferences, I always learn new ideas of presenting material or get a spark to create something for my class. Besides attending conferences, I love reading ChemMatters magazine. The articles are great for creating real-world connections. I often incorporate them into lessons by having students read an article before we do a lab or to start a unit to build context.

Why did you become involved with AACT? What are the benefits of being involved?

I was involved with our Texas chemistry organization, ACT2, when AACT was first created. It was exciting to finally have a national organization where chemistry teachers could share ideas and resources in one place. I love being able to search for a concept and immediately see a collection of lessons, activities, and labs that others have submitted. Many labs are ready to use as-is, while others I can easily modify to fit my classroom needs.

I especially appreciate the simulations, my favorite is the Galvanic/Voltaic cell model, which helps students clearly visualize what each component is doing. Another benefit is the ability to watch webinars at my own pace. I’m often not home when they are live, or I’m too overwhelmed with work to focus, so being able to view them when I’m ready is incredibly helpful.

Having access to all issues of ChemMatters magazine since 1983 and being able to search the archive is another major benefit. It makes it easy to incorporate articles into my lessons to build real-world connections and spark student interest.