Spotlight on: Kathryn Lister
March 2025 High School Teacher of the Month
The Student Council decides monthly student and teacher awards with a specific category each month. The category for March 2025 was the musical for students and “master of their craft” for teachers.
The Senior Student of the Month awards go to two seniors per month who are nominated and voted on by Student Council members in grades 9-11.
The High School Teacher of the Month award goes to one teacher per month who is nominated and voted on by Student Council members in grades 9-12. All Teachers of the Month become eligible to become Teacher of the Year in June.
The March 2025 Senior Students of the Month are Isabella Miller and Chris Farrell, and the March 2025 High School Teacher of the Month is Kathryn Lister.
Below is a Q&A with Kathryn Lister:
Subject/Grade Level: 10th grade earth science
Years in Education: 15 years in education, eight years at Herkimer Central School District
Q. What inspired you to become a teacher, and how did you choose your subject area?
A. I love sharing information with others. When I went to college as an adult, Geology 101 was one of my first classes. It was love at first sight!
Q. What’s one teaching strategy or practice you swear by, and why does it work for you?
A. Whenever students want to know if their answer is correct (before turning in an assignment), I don’t give them the answer. I will neither confirm nor deny that their answer is correct or wrong. I just say OK and ask them if they are confident in their answer. I’m trying to help the students build confidence in their responses.
Q. How do you keep your lessons fresh and engaging, year after year?
A. Learning from other teachers – science and non-science teachers.
Q. What’s a proud moment from your teaching career that still sticks with you?
A. When students get excited about phenomena, like a full moon, eclipse, auroras, meandering streams, erratics. Information they’ve been taught in class and share it with me (email or show me a picture).
Q. What advice would you give to new teachers just starting out in the profession?
A. If you find any joy in teaching, stick with it. It’s a great job.
Q. What do you enjoy most about teaching your subject?
A. Mostly the rocks and the students.
Q. If you could describe your teaching philosophy in one sentence, what would it be?
A. I believe in creating a safe space for students. What I mean by that is a space where students can respond to questions, discuss with other students, comment, etc. without harsh judgement from their peers.
Q. How do you continue to grow and evolve as an educator? (e.g. PD, collaboration, innovation)
A. Being a member of the Science Teachers Association of NYS (STANYS) and a Subject Area Representative (SAR) in Earth and Space Science for the Mohawk Valley Section of STANYS. Science teachers share a lot of information with each other. It’s great.
Q. What’s something students might be surprised to learn about you?
A. This one’s tough. I basically tell students too much about my personal life. But one thing they may not know is that I have a commercial driver’s license. I can drive an 18-wheeler. (It’s been a long time, but I’m sure it’s like riding a bike!)