By Nathan Inouye

I was fortunate that, on my first day of teaching, I felt supported by my colleagues and friends.

I had just completed my teaching credential at UCLA and was starting my master’s program. I felt prepared, confident, and, of course, anxious to meet my students. But what I didn’t expect was to feel a lack of a greater sense of community.

At first, I thought I was lonely because it was my first year of teaching. But that didn’t make sense because I was constantly collaborating with my fellow first-year teachers after school and late into the night. I finally realized that I was missing a sense of belonging outside of my school.

I wanted to feel that I was part of something greater than just the daily grind of teaching. I wanted to know that the work I was doing with my students was part of a larger effort to create change.

I found what I was looking for when I attended my first science conference. I was surrounded by new and veteran science educators seeking innovative ideas to deepen science learning and teaching. I was hungry for science activities that would engage my high school biology students, so I attended the Bio-Rad pGLO Bacterial Transformation Lab workshop, where I met Kirk Brown, who facilitated the workshop. Kirk inspired me to be more than just a classroom science teacher—to improve my practice, share my teaching experiences, and contribute to advancing science education.

Later in my career, as the Science Coordinator for the Ventura County Office of Education, I would continue to be inspired and mentored by Kirk Brown, who was a primary writer of the 2016 California Science Framework.

I also will never forget a conversation I had with another participant who was sitting next to me during the workshop. He helped me understand how I could help students successfully navigate the complex lab by making it more accessible—breaking down the scientific language and concepts into manageable pieces. This science teacher had already understood how to apply the Universal Design for Learning framework to the lab, and our conversation helped me see new ways to support my students.

The CASE conference helped me learn new strategies, inspired me to improve my teaching, and helped me see myself as part of a science education community that is making a difference in the lives of students.

My participation in CASE was, to say the least, energizing and inspiring! CASE gave me strategies and ideas. CASE gave me mentors. CASE gave me opportunities to grow. But most importantly, CASE gave me a community. A community that reminded me that I was not alone in this work. A community that challenged me to become a better teacher. A community that helped me see that the work we do in our classrooms is connected to something much bigger than ourselves. That is why I became a member of the organization that brings us together: the California Association of Science Educators (CASE).

As the Co-Chair of the CASE Membership Committee, I invite you to join the rest of us and know that you matter—and your teaching matters, too! I can’t wait to welcome you as a member of CASE.

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