Angela Steele Anderson

Tell us about your teaching career!

I’m in my ninth year of teaching science at Antelope High School. I was hired for the job out of the teaching credential program at UC Davis and have been lucky enough to have worked alongside many other UC Davis alumni during my time at Antelope High School. I have been teaching a Program called Project Lead The Way since my first year teaching and absolutely love it. Project Lead The Way is a K-12 STEM curriculum with an emphasis in biomedical science, engineering and computer science. We use an APB approach to learning to teach students to be independent thinkers and empower them to thrive in our ever-changing economy. You can read more about it in a blog post I wrote.

I believe that the experience I had student teaching and the critical thinking and modeling framework I learned from Dr. Cindy Passmore made transitioning to teaching the PLTW curriculum very natural. I’m so grateful I can continue to work with the UC Davis biotechnology department and Professor Denneal Jamison-McClung, who hosts my students for field trips each year. I also work with Professor Jamison-McClung as my students participate in the annual UC Davis Teen Biotech Challenge that UC Davis. More recently, I’ve partnered with the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Student Organization at UC Davis to create an eMentorship program at my high school. The mentoring and relationships that students have received from this experience have been invaluable. I hope to continue partnering with UC Davis in the years to come.

You earned your bachelor of science degree, credential and master’s degree at UC Davis. How does that inform your teaching today?

I’ve drawn on my undergraduate degree in biology, my single subject teaching credential in biology and my MA in education to create a robust biomedical pathway at Antelope High School. The pathway includes four biomedical courses and a fifth internship course where students get clinical internship experience. I’ve partnered with the health care industry for much of my teaching career, offering internship opportunities to students interested in a career in medicine. Currently I work with Dignity Health Systems, Shriner’s, Sutter Health and UC Davis to provide these opportunities for students.

I very much enjoyed my time at UC Davis and the education that I received. I am thankful to be able to work in proximity of the school and to be able to help my students apply and get in to UC Davis.

What are you up to now?

In October 2017 I was recognized at the Project Lead The Way National Summit as the National Teacher of the Year. I am so thankful to be a part of such a wonderful program that is promoting STEM and Career Technical Education and empowering students through problem-based learning and career exploration.