Marlys Williamson’s fifth-grade science classroom at Wolf Canyon Elementary in Chula Vista always revolved around hands-on learning. So when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020 and students were sent home, she faced a moment of crisis.
“That was the biggest panic moment for me,” recalled the San Diego State University School of Teacher Education alumna (’05, ’06). “How can I reach students in their homes, while they’re in their PJs with their dogs and their stuffed animals?”
Williamson set up an assembly line to pack science bags for each of her students. Soon, parents were swinging by to pick up sacks full of straws, popsicle sticks, cups, even owl pellets — everything they needed to conduct science experiments from the other side of a Microsoft Teams window.
It’s that level of dedication that recently earned Williamson the U.S. Government’s highest honor for science teaching — the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). Williamson and fellow SDSU alumna Khamphet Pease (’05) were the two California recipients out of 102 teachers honored in a virtual ceremony last month.
Williamson called receiving the PAEMST honor “humbling” — especially in light of the pandemic.
“This makes me think about all the computer coders, software engineers, doctors and vaccine makers who made it possible for me to teach,” she said. “Who were the teachers that inspired them? Because 10 years ago, this wouldn’t have been possible. I hope I’m inspiring the next generation of people who are going to make a difference in fields like that.”
A former student in the Chula Vista Elementary School District where she has worked since 2007, Williamson recently left the classroom in an effort to broaden her impact. She now works as a science coordinator in the district office, supporting more than 900 teachers.
What made Williamson’s own classroom special was the way she fostered curiosity. She said her lessons were designed to encourage students to ask more questions rather than dwell on being fed right answers.
“I'm never the keeper of information for my students,” Williamson said. “They are the ones doing the solving and the wondering.”
SDSU made a significant impact on the educator she is today. Both of her parents were teachers and SDSU alumni. Williamson speaks glowingly of the education she received as a liberal studies major and later in her teaching credential program under cohort leader Marva Cappello, professor in teacher education.
“She always inspired us and saw the best in us,” Williamson said of Cappello. “In my credential program, it was so great to learn the strategies, go and try them, apply them and then take them back into your student teaching.”
And what does she make of the fact that both California PAEMST honorees are SDSU alumni?
“It makes me proud to be an Aztec for sure,” Williamson said. “SDSU is preparing our future teachers to make a difference for our students and rise to the occasion.”