Chemistry Solutions

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It’s that time of year. June lazed by like a sunbather floating along on a raft, carefree and comfortable. July gradually quickened the pace of summer, passing by before we finished all the things we teachers planned to do with our time at home.

As I write this, August is flying—stores are already filled with school supplies, back-to-school tax-free weekend just passed, and our children are rushing to fit in fun with friends while also wrapping up their summer reading assignments. And we are soon back to work!

That back-to-school feeling

As a child, I was always so excited to go back to school after summer break. I found joy in decorating binders, finding a planner with the perfect layout, and organizing my new backpack. As soon as August came, the anticipation of returning to the familiar social environment of school and learning something new began to energize me. I know, I know—is it any wonder I became a teacher?

Even as an adult, that excitement hasn't faded. Every July, the rotating chemical education conferences—BCCE and ChemEd—give me the perfect chance to catch up with colleagues, swap ideas for the year ahead, and shift from vacation mode into teacher mode. Fresh off this year’s BCCE in Madison, I'm already thinking about what the 2026–2027 school year will bring and how I'll grow as an educator.

I’m especially excited about the upcoming school year because I have a new job! After teaching in a wonderful Cincinnati school for the past ten years, I’ve moved to Boston and have a new teaching position. I will still teach sophomore and AP chemistry, but a new school environment, new schedule, and new LMS (learning management system) mean I’ll need to reimagine my pacing and curriculum.

A new group of students will walk into my classroom with their own expectations, interests, and lived experiences—which I will need to uncover so that I can design meaningful lessons for them. It’s easy for veteran teachers like me to fall into comfortable habits, recycling plans and activities. So it’s a blessing to have a reason to reinvigorate my practice and challenge myself to create new things. What changes will I make in the year ahead?

New year, new school, adapting strategies

I was inspired by a lunchtime Birds-of-a-Feather session at BCCE about flipped classrooms to improve my screencasts and my approach to using them. I’ve been using a flipped approach for 12 years and still appreciate its flexibility with how I use my class time. Students today, however, are accustomed to Instagram Reels and extremely short, attention-grabbing videos—unlike the screencasts I’ve created until now.

The literature tells us that screencasts should be very brief, and so I aim to hold myself to a shorter time limit, keeping in mind that students have the option to pause, rewind, and change speed as needed. I also want to make my videos more interactive, to shift away from a sit-and-get approach that the flipped classroom model is supposed to avoid. Will I make an entire year of new videos for two courses all in one year? I will try my best, but I’ll also grant myself grace and know that such a project takes time.

Much discussion has taken place at conferences lately regarding the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and how to take advantage of it as a resource rather than being trepidatious about how it will detract from our students’ learning. I admit to struggling to embrace what may be the inevitable integration of generative AI in curriculum and instruction. Is it the wariness of a seasoned teacher who is concerned for her students or is it just the resistance to change that comes with age? I’m not sure.

What I do know is that my teenage students will use this resource with or without my guidance. My choice is to either pretend that this technology doesn’t exist or to guide my students to use AI as a thinking partner rather than as a tool for quickly completing an assignment. So I recently read Teaching with AI: A Practical Guide to a New Era of Human Learning by Watson and Bowen, which explains how generative AI works, how it’s used in a variety of fields, how students might use it, and how it may be a helpful thinking partner for teachers.

I’m sure my new school will have its own AI policy, which will affect how I integrate AI into my classes. As with any new technology change, it’s always important to check with administration to see what is expected and to be sure we’re working consistently with colleagues. I am going in with a mind open to how I might learn—and guide students as they learn—meaningful ways to use AI in education.

I’m also inspired to weave more storytelling into my teaching. Last year at ChemEd 2025, keynote speaker Kit Chapman shared his love of storytelling and entertained the audience with tales of Joseph Priestly and racecars and more. Several years earlier, BCCE 2018 hosted author Sam Kean, also a skilled storyteller, who inspired teachers to make connections between tales of chemistry throughout history and our course content.

This year, all my students will be young women, and so I am especially motivated to weave stories of women in science into my curriculum—not only to entertain but also to inspire. Despite our progress toward gender equality in science and science education, I am mindful that some voices still exist that might discourage our female students from pursuing science careers. Representation is an important part of curriculum design, and storytelling is an effective way to help students see themselves in the content we teach.

I’m sure my students would recognize Marie Curie in a photograph and they could probably tell me a little bit about who she was and what she discovered, but I want to push beyond that in my class. I want students to see themselves in all the women who paved the way for female scientists. I want them to see themselves in the women making discoveries today and spurring innovation in medicine—in alternative fuel sources, climate science, and the like. In this way, even if my students don’t remember the gas laws or the formula for Gibbs Free Energy, they will remember the stories they hear and the impressions they get about just how much women can achieve.

Make changes meaningful

I share these goals with you all for two reasons: to inspire you and to hold myself accountable. If you are also moving to a new school or just beginning your career in education, I hope you’re excited to begin a new chapter. If you are a veteran teacher returning to a familiar classroom you’ve curated over a decade or two, I challenge you to make even one meaningful change this year. While change is difficult no matter your position, requiring extra work and bringing the risk of failure, just remember that meaningful change can be small and it can be imperfect—but it will keep you and your students inspired to learn more about chemistry.

As you consider your goals for the coming year, you may be inspired by one of the many great ideas in the September 2026 issue of Chemistry Solutions:

• Learn from Colorado teacher Stephan Graham who outlines unique and meaningful ways that he has used his love of literature in his classes to both strengthen and assess students’ understanding of chemistry.
• Find examples of how NGSS can look in chemistry as New York teacher Lauren Ferlin describes STEM Challenges that capitalize on her students’ natural competitiveness—to foster deeper engagement and deeper learning of the chemistry topics.
• Consider starting a chemistry club at your school like North Carolina teacher Dorothy Holley, who discovered time-saving guidance and a wealth of possibilities from AACT ChemClub resources that are available to all AACT members with registration!
• For AP Chemistry teachers, look for strategies to bolster this year's approach in our Extended Feature about insights from the AP Chemistry Reading by Virginia teacher Michael Farabaugh. Michael worked with AACT members who also serve as AP Reading leaders (Karen Compton, Jamie Flint, Matt Ford, Diana Gano, Ryan Johnson, and Marc Stephenson) to compile targeted advice to strengthen students' understanding of key exam topics.

Whether you prepare yourself by searching for that perfectly laid-out plan book, pondering how to set up your classroom, searching for new lessons, or strategizing how to best get to know your students, I encourage us all to be purposeful and hopeful while setting goals for the year.

Thank you for reading and for allowing me to share my aspirations for 2026-2027. I hope you have an amazing school year!

Shannon Smith



Shannon Smith
Board President, AACT 
2026–2027