PHOTOS Sydney Studios & Co.
MELISSA WEBB W
alking into a fourth grade classroom at Barbara Morgan STEM Academy in Meridian, I imagined chaos, screaming children and the sight of squiggle crayon lines everywhere. I have always wondered why someone would choose to teach children. Walking into Mrs. Webb’s class that Wednesday afternoon, the site was the opposite. Students were intently working on a project in their groups. Some were discussing different ways to complete the project, others directed what should be done, and a few were documenting what the outcome was. It was almost as if I had walked into a college science class. When Melissa Webb was a little girl lining up her teddy bears, creating a mini school and even sending them to detention, she realized that the classroom is where she needed to be. Melissa accredits her teachers at Meridian High School for giving her the passion to want to teach. The inspiration she received from those teachers led right to the head of the classroom. She came to realize through her mentors that,
“If I can make any kind of impact on the students that the teachers made on me, that will be the most fulfilling part of my job.” Melissa has been living in Meridian since 1993 when her family moved here from Kansas by way of Colorado and California. After she graduated high school in 1998, she attended Boise State as a nursing major but quickly realized that teaching was her passion. She changed her major and received her degree in 2002 in Elementary Education. She dove right into teaching with the Meridian School District as soon as she graduated. When Melissa’s son was born in 2005 she went to work for her dad at his business, wanting something part-time so she could focus on being a mom. The part-time job still left her wanting more and she soon found herself reaching out to her teaching contacts to get back into the classroom.However, she quickly found the only thing available was a full time position teaching 8th grade science at Eagle Middle School. Melissa was nervous
TEACHER SPOTLIGHT
WRITTEN BY Toni Osmundson
about teaching 8th graders after just finishing with 3rd graders. She wasn’t too familiar with science. She wasn’t sure she was up to the task. When the principal offered her the job he told her,“[You have] stepped up to every single challenge that has come across your plate. You can do this.” After accepting the job, she immediately fell in love with the curriculum, the students at that age level, and the technology and science subjects. Soon after, she began reading about STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education and was intrigued with its power and how the program creates problem solvers. She returned to school to get her Master’s degree in Technology and Educational Technology. She is also a Technology Integration Specialist making her highly qualified in science. With her desire to return to elementary school and introduce the STEM program at an earlier age, she moved to teach a 4th grade STEM program. The first year there, she was the first teacher to be recognized for integration and problem based learning. She was also named teacher of the year
Venture Meridian Magazine March 2016
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