People: Judy Ferris
JUDY FERRIS: NEW YORK'S TOP TEACHER
When Judy Ferris, M.A. '67, arrived at the White House in March, her mind was only partly on President George Bush, who presented her the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Teaching along with $7,500 from the National Science Foundation. Two of her students from Schreiber High School, Port Washington, NY, had just left town, having competed among the 40 finalists in the Westinghouse Science Talent Search. One of them, age 17, had recently given a paper on Lyme disease at a national conference. 'Some of my kids know more than I'll ever know,' brags Ferris, a dynamo who takes credit only for 'creating the environment in which they can ask questions and find answers.'
Chosen as the best of 102 nominees, Judy says her goal is to make students excited about the scientific method, not be afraid to tackle any task, and not to expect correct results every time. 'Kids always want the right answer,' she explains. 'But I push them to ask questions, to question what they read. Sometimes there is no right answer.'
Judy maintains meteorically high expectations and her students have responded well when challenged. 'My 9th-graders read Scientific American and can analyze it,' she notes.
In one assignment, her students had to condense an article on laser surgery into 44 topic sentences.
A native of Charles City, IA, she credits MSU with advancing her career. One highlight of her college career was a two-week geology field trip to Canada. 'One of the best experiences of my life,' she says. 'It was totally hands-on. We collected fossils that I still use in my classes.'
But her greatest inspiration was 'my student teaching supervisor Sarah Brown. She told me, 'The first time you give a bad lesson will be the last lesson you give.' I was intimidated and worked really, really hard. She was my mentor and I still stay in touch.'
