This month, I am excited to introduce you to our featured teacher, Dena Orfanitopoulos. I recently came across Dena on Instagram where she shares great STEM activities and challenges for the classroom.

Dena has been teaching for nine years now and is currently teaching grades 1-4, technology and enrichment in New Jersey, USA. That’s over 250 students a week. . You can find Dena sharing her stories and resources on Instagram @misstechqueen, stem ideas, tech tips, tutorials and great hacks to use in your classroom on her YouTube Channel, find great resources on her Teachers Pay Teachers store, or simply find your way to her website at MissTechQueen.com where there is so much goodness.

Enjoy.

1.      Why did you become a teacher?
When I was in high school I volunteered with my former 5th grade teacher after school. I would help her in her classroom and work with the students. I knew then that I loved helping others, and for some reason, I could always click with younger children. It was clear that teaching would be a great field for me. 

2.      What is your favourite subject to teach?
I love teaching technology and STEM. It has been so exciting because there is so much opportunity. 

3.      What is one of your favourite teaching memories?
I created a STEM challenge a few years ago where students build a bridge and needed to add weight to it. I did this with kindergarten, so six years old. One girl build a structure with wood and I gave her a few weighted bean bags to add on top. She was so nervous to add them because she thought her structure would fall. She added one at a time, and when she added the last one, her mouth just dropped. She was soooo excited and proud that her structure held up all the weight. It was such a wonderful moment! 

4.      What is the most important thing you have learnt while teaching?

To be flexible! Things do not always go as planned. Teaching is a lot about going with the flow.

5.      If you could invite one guest speaker into the classroom who would it be?
Elon Musk! I would love to have him chat with my students. 

6.      What is your best teaching tip for beginning teachers?

Focus on the students. Decorating your classroom, changing your door and bulletin board décor, even coming up with unique lessons will all come in time. The most important thing is to form positive relationships with your students. You may be the one positive adult in their life on a daily basis. Put the kids first. 

7.      Teaching can be very demanding. How do you achieve a work/life balance?

I try to do anything teaching-related at school. I take full advantage of my prep and lunchtime. I normally eat in my room and multitask to get things done. This way when I am home, I can do personal items. 

8.      What is one thing you like to do every day with your students?
In technology class, we always start with ten minutes of typing. We use a great program called Typing Club. Teaching my students to type properly with two hands is very important. As they move on in this digital world, that is a skill they will need to have.

9.      How do you minimize your environmental footprint in the classroom?
We use reusable water bottles in our school. We have special water bottle fountains that easily fill up. 

Thank you so much Dena for sharing. I am loving your blog and all your great ideas to test out in my classroom. STEM can be such a fun subject to teach as the students develop their problem-solving skills.

To read past teacher profiles; click here.

If you are a teacher and are interested in being featured in the blog, we would love to hear from you. Shoot me an email at laurathexplaura@gmail.com or comment below.