Teacher feature: Courtney Justice inspires curiosity and empowers learners
Courtney Justice, a third-grade teacher at Rapid Valley Elementary School in Rapid City, is planting seeds of possibility in her classroom—one science experiment at a time.
The US Bureau of Labor Statics shows the fastest growing occupations in the next decade will require a mastery of skills tied to science, technology, engineering, and math.
Inspiring third graders to build a passion for STEM-related subjects might not seem all that impactful when it comes to filling the critical need in these occupations—but in less than 10 years, the elementary students of today will be graduating from high school—and they will need the skills to make them globally competitive in higher education and/or in the workforce.
Courtney Justice is among a long list of amazing South Dakota educators who are helping their students build the confidence and curiosity to see themselves as future STEM professionals. Through hands-on lessons and collaborative learning, Justice inspires a passion for exploration.
“If we can start early and kind of plant those seeds, we can build the possibility that as they go through school, they do more research, they do more learning, and they broaden their horizons, and they do end up in a position like up here at Sanford Underground Research Facility, where they're doing big, important science work.”
Last summer, Justice joined educators from across the state and nation for a weeklong professional development program hosted by the education and outreach team at Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF). The experience gave her a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the groundbreaking research happening nearly a mile beneath the surface in Lead, South Dakota.
“I've really enjoyed the week of professional development training at SURF,” Justice said. “Especially getting to talk to experts in their field and listen to them and learn from them. But I also appreciate having the opportunity to meet with other fellow teachers from the state and talk shop with them and learn from them. As an elementary school teacher, I only have my perspective. So, when I get to talk to middle school and high school teachers and learn about different resources or things that I can try in my classroom, I know it's going to only make my instruction better.”
SURF is committed to advancing world-class science and inspiring learning across generations. That mission extends beyond the facility, reaching into classrooms like Justice’s, where young students are just beginning to imagine what their futures could hold.
“My students love doing hands-on science,” Justice said. “On the days where they come in and they look at the schedule and they're like, ‘oh my gosh, we get to do science today.’ That excitement definitely plays into their deeper learning, if they're excited, they want to be there, they want to do the work, they want to learn.”
Justice’s work represents a powerful connection between education and workforce development. By sparking early interest in STEM, educators like Justice are helping build a pathway for future thinkers, builders, and researchers—any one of Justice’s third graders could someday be part of the team educating future generations or conducting world-class research at SURF.
To learn more about teacher professional development resources and workshops at SURF, visit our website.
