Bringing a world of opportunity to rural classrooms

When his wife got a new job in Bison, South Dakota, Alan Grinsteinner put in an application at the high school, just in case. After all, he had taught high school mathematics for 13 years. And as a Command Sergeant Major in the National Guard, Grinsteinner had been teaching and training thousands of soldiers in engineering, communications and leadership for 30 years.

Shortly after putting in his application, Grinsteinner began performing duties in conjunction with the Armed Forces of Ghana. While there, he got a phone call from the superintendent at Bison High School, who asked if he could come for an interview in the next day.

“I said, ‘Well, not tomorrow. I’m in Africa!’” Grinsteinner recalled. “But I got back to the United States on August 10th, interviewed on the 11th, was offered the job on the 12th, retired from the National Guard on the 13th and started teaching on the 18th.”

In just eight days, Grinsteinner transitioned from full-time National Guard to teaching seventh through twelfth grade science at Bison Middle and High School. “I’ve never looked back,” Grinsteinner said. “I just really love the kids here.”

Underground science in rural South Dakota

Grinsteinner’s experience with the South Dakota and North Dakota National Guard had taken him around the world. He hoped to bring some of those experiences into the classroom in Bison, a rural town in northwest South Dakota with a population of just 300 people.

When he learned about the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF), Grinsteinner saw it as an opportunity to introduce his students to world-class science happening in their home state.

SURF hosts research experiments nearly a mile underground in Lead, South Dakota. The facility also supports science educators like Grinsteinner through its Education and Outreach (E&O) program. The E&O program provides professional development programs, curriculum units, in-school presentations and field trips—at no cost to educators.

Grinsteinner has participated in SURF’s professional development courses each summer for the past 3 years. “They do a great job of modeling teaching techniques,” he said. “It's less about the right or wrong answers and more about the process of learning, which I find invaluable.”

Filling in the gaps

Grinsteinner teaches every science course at Bison’s Middle and High School—from life science to physics. While the workload keeps him busy, he appreciates the ability to watch students’ understanding grow over time.

“As the kids move through these classes, I can go back and say, ‘Okay, remember when we covered this in physical science?’ I can bookend their learning, which is really fun,” Grinsteinner said.

With this added perspective, Grinsteinner began to notice some gaps in student learning.

“In physical science, I noticed we would get to roughly the same spot in the book every year,” Grinsteinner said. “We would always have to stop before getting into electricity and waves. Plus, most textbooks seemed to gloss over the topics of tectonic plates and what happens in deep space.”

Eager for his students to dive into these fascinating topics, Grinsteinner developed a new Earth and Space class. One semester was wholly dedicated to space topics—the solar system, neutron stars, black holes—and the other to Earth science—rock cycles, tectonic plates and the origins of the Earth.

With limited school budgets, it can be difficult for educators to get the supplies and materials needed for engaging, hands-on lessons. Developed according to South Dakota’s science standards, SURF’s curriculum units explore exciting science topics and include lesson plans and materials for 10-20 hours of instruction.

“That’s where SURF has been an unbelievable resource,” said Grinsteinner, who uses SURF’s “Star Stuff” curriculum unit during his Earth and Space course. “The unit covers nucleosynthesis, how elements were formed in stars before coming together on Earth. That has become a great part of the course.”

Making science relevant

Grinsteinner also created an Integrated Science course, where students learn to reason from data and to design and run their own experiments.

“Students create a model, collect data and then present to their classmates, so we can make the science real for them, as opposed to something theoretical,” Grinsteinner said.

He also uses the course as an opportunity to introduce his students to emerging technologies like drones and 3D printers. These topics are not just useful to students who want to pursue careers in science or engineering; they have direct applications to their daily lives.

“In rural communities, some ranchers are beginning to use drones to check on livestock during calving and lambing season,” Grinsteinner said. “They can program the drone to follow a flight plan so they can check the cattle from their home, instead of driving a truck around the field at two o’clock in the morning.”

Grinsteinner also pointed out that, as 3D metal fabrication becomes a reality, farmers and ranchers can use the technology to create parts for machinery repairs.

“As this technology becomes a bigger part of their lives, I want them to be confident to use it and apply it themselves,” Grinsteinner said.

Focus on the whole team  

As a basketball and golf coach, Grinsteinner takes his passion for teaching beyond the classroom.

“I look at coaching as another classroom,” Grinsteinner said. “With these sports, there’s always a responsibility to your team, a sense of self-discipline and respect. It’s not about the win versus the loss; it’s always team-first.”

Deb Wolf, director of outreach and culture at SURF, says Grinsteinner’s own dedication to teamwork is emphasized in his willingness to pilot new curriculum units, provide detailed feedback during professional development courses and cheer on other educators.

“There’s no way I can fully capture in words how much impact Alan has on science education in South Dakota,” Wolf said. “His unbridled curiosity, energy and enthusiasm is incredibly inspiring and contagious. Students in the Bison school district are so fortunate to have Alan as their science teacher. Frankly, I wish he had been mine!”