Area science teacher's efforts win recognition from President Bush

There's really no telling what you'll find in Russell Grammer's fourth-grade classroom.

Along the back wall, glass and plastic tanks hold a variety of creepy-crawlies. In one tank, a garden snake is curled under an empty turtle shell.

In another, salamanders laze on small rocks. Next door to the salamanders is a plastic container filled with tadpoles.

With a name that sounds like an important English lesson, it's only fitting that Russell Grammer became a teacher.

But even more than being a teacher, Grammer likes to be a scientist. And instead of just being students, he likes the children in his class to be scientists too.

Many a lesson in his class has been interrupted by the sighting of an unusual bug or an interesting plant. Grammer encourages that kind of curiosity in his students.

"When you look at something closer, you'll see parts of it you didn't know were there," Grammer said. "And when you look at the whole world like that, everything becomes fascinating."

The Jefferson Elementary teacher's creativity in the classroom recently earned him the Presidential Award for Science Teaching. Grammer returned April 16 from a trip to Washington, D.C., where he accepted his award from President Bush, attended congressional hearings on educational issues and a variety of other activities.

The presidential awards, offered to math and science teachers, were established in 1983 by Congress and are administered for the White House by the National Science Foundation.

Grammer is one of 96 teachers in the United States to receive the 2004 award, which came with prizes such as $10,000 and a trip to Walt Disney World.

After a week in Washington, Grammer was back in his classroom working with students on the garden they're growing in the school's courtyard.

His enthusiasm is stronger than ever, but he's changed since his trip.

"Things are different now. I'm so motivated I almost can't handle it," he said. "In school, we can only do so much. So I'm thinking we can help the families. I've always had my heart in teaching, but now I'm thinking what can I do as a person to reach out and help the community."

One idea is to hold a barbecue this summer and allow students and their parents to come back to Jefferson and enjoy vegetables the class is now growing.

In the mean time, Grammer is concentrating on what he does best -- teaching students to be scientists.

"If they can walk out of here and observe something no one else see, they're scientists," he said. "If they go away seeing things differently, then I've done what I need to do."

cmiller@semissourian.com

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