Meet Mr. Harris This is Van Harris, a fifth grade science teacher at Mario Moreno STEAM Academy in the heart of Oak Cliff in Dallas, Texas. A father of two daughters – Asia and Krystal (one of whom is also a teacher!), Mr. Harris has been teaching for 24 years in the Dallas Independent School District and has taught science from second to eighth grade over the course of his career. He comes from a long line of educators, with his great great grandfather starting the trend as a university professor. “My entire family believes in education first,” Harris says. “That’s the one thing we do in ou ..read more

Our vision is to ensure that all students, no matter their resources, have access to an engaging, hands-on education that empowers them to become future problem-solvers and leaders. And while there is still much work to be done, we are excited to share some stepping stones of progress in these first two months of the new year. Thank you for continuing to cheer us on and for supporting us in this mission. We were selected to lead a workshop at the National Science Teachers Association Conference (NSTA) As one of the largest conferences for science teachers nationwide, the NSTA event is a treme ..read more

Out Teach is pleased to announce four new members to join our Board of Directors. Bringing diverse and extensive experience, the new Board members share in Out Teach’s mission to inspire the next generation of leaders and innovators. Teresa Young Bernstein Chief Operating Officer, General Counsel, & Chief Compliance Officer ACON Investments Teresa Y. Bernstein is the Chief Operating Officer, General Counsel, and Chief Compliance Officer of ACON Investments, a private equity investment firm based in Washington, D.C. that invests in middle market companies across the United States, Latin Am ..read more

Thank you 2022 Out Teach teachers of the year!   Every year during  Teacher Appreciation Week, Out Teach celebrates teachers from across the country! In each of our regions, we name one special teacher in our program to be our “Teacher of the Year.”  Please join us in celebrating our winners below! Ms. Kiauna Ferguson Out Teach North Carolina Teacher of the Year At Paw Creek Elementary in North Carolina’s Charlotte Mecklenburg School System, 2nd grade teacher Ms. Kiauna Ferguson uses outdoor learning to help her students shine. Her enthusiasm to try something new, and her will ..read more

Inspiring curiosity For Ms. Melissa Robinson, a 5th grade Math teacher at Whittier Elementary in Washington, DC, it’s only natural (pun intended) to engage students in learning outside, especially in Math.  Because outdoor lessons provide the perfect stage for cross-curricular learning, she’s also able to embed Science and STEM into her busy days.  Unfortunately, many Whittier students struggled to engage in remote learning during Covid, so Ms. Robinson makes the most of every moment with cross-curricular learning, working  to ensure students are now getting the hands-on real-wo ..read more

Driving a passion for exploration At Paw Creek Elementary in North Carolina’s Charlotte Mecklenburg School System, 2nd grade teacher Ms. Kiauna Ferguson uses outdoor learning to help her students shine. Though she’s a fairly new teacher in a very new building, Ms. Ferguson remains undaunted, and has created a true community of enthusiastic learners outdoors. As excited as her students are, Ms. Ferguson embraces that energy and adds her own, creating engaging, fun, student-directed experiences, and eagerly looking for creative ways to incorporate outdoor learning into her daily instruction. She ..read more

Embracing a sense of wonder In Atlanta, Kindezi at Gideons is lucky to have Mr. Ryan Lisbon teaching Math/Science for 2nd grade. Mr. Lisbon loves using outdoor phenomena to create 3-dimensional science lessons that help students build their crosscutting concept skills and science and engineering practices. Beyond giving students the skills and knowledge they need to excel on their Georgia Science Standards of Excellence, Mr. Lisbon brings students outdoors to design real-world models to help students embrace their sense of wonder, and build 21st Century skills such as communication and collabo ..read more

Creating inquisitive life-long learners In Fort Worth, 5th Grade Science Teacher Mr. Michael Stephens puts extra effort into building positive relationships and mutual respect with his Tanglewood Elementary students.  Not only does this build an effective learning environment for everyone, it also helps students develop the important communication and collaboration skills critical to creating inquisitive life-long learners in any career. By using the outdoors as an extension of his classroom, Mr. Stephens allows his students to have more voice and choice over their learning which translat ..read more

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I am excited to speak a little bit about what is happening in Clayton County, Georgia. One thing I do want to highlight is probably thinking well why the outdoors why science, why do those two work so well together. I will say is at the foundational core of what science is authentically about it’s about using the natural environment, to understand the whys and the hows in a way to make improvements to society right, so we want to give students these authentic experiences that allows them to create a passion around science, because we recognize that STEM jobs is where we are headed and we want ..read more