DID YOU KNOW?
Tacoma’s story spans more than two centuries from the time Captain George Vancouver anchored off Tacoma’s north shore in 1792.
In 1870, Tacoma’s natural deep-water port became an attraction that the Northern Pacific Railroad couldn’t pass up, when it made Tacoma a stop on its transcontinental line.
Old Tacoma and New Tacoma merged in 1884 and incorporated as Tacoma. By 1890, the population reached 36,000 people.
Tacoma is home to the Port of Tacoma, the seventh-largest container port in the United States, and it is within 20 miles of the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and 36 miles of the city of Seattle.
Elizabeth Moyer,
Lower School Science Specialist, Science Chair
Elizabeth Moyer teaches science in the Lower School, working collaboratively with each classroom teacher. “I believe every child is a scientist and my job is to encourage curiosity, develop skills and introduce new ideas,” says Moyer. “However, my most important task is to nurture each child’s sense of wonder.”
In Moyer’s science lab, even Charles Wright’s youngest students get to delve deeply into what they are studying with hands-on experiments. Teaching in the lab is inquiry-based and the process of science and the thinking behind the process are highly valued and encouraged. Factual knowledge is gained through guided exploration, discussion, demonstration and experiments, but it is always within the context of discovery.
“In an inquiry based classroom there is sometimes confusion and frustration,” says Moyer. “This is to be expected and is usually short-lived. Guidance and persistence turn struggle into discovery. The confidence gained from accomplishing a difficult, yet attainable, task is immeasurable and leads to a willingness to take risks and keep trying. One of my first grade students once became frustrated and started to cry, but soon she was beaming with pride as her persistence paid off and her pencil balanced on its point. ‘This is magical!’ she exclaimed, with a true sense of wonder.”
Moyer holds a bachelors degree from Washington State University. She joined Charles Wright’s faculty in 2002 and serves as the science department chair for all grade levels. She has also taught fifth grade and coached the Math Olympiad. She also enjoys home and landscape design.
In Moyer’s science lab, even Charles Wright’s youngest students get to delve deeply into what they are studying with hands-on experiments. Teaching in the lab is inquiry-based and the process of science and the thinking behind the process are highly valued and encouraged. Factual knowledge is gained through guided exploration, discussion, demonstration and experiments, but it is always within the context of discovery.
“In an inquiry based classroom there is sometimes confusion and frustration,” says Moyer. “This is to be expected and is usually short-lived. Guidance and persistence turn struggle into discovery. The confidence gained from accomplishing a difficult, yet attainable, task is immeasurable and leads to a willingness to take risks and keep trying. One of my first grade students once became frustrated and started to cry, but soon she was beaming with pride as her persistence paid off and her pencil balanced on its point. ‘This is magical!’ she exclaimed, with a true sense of wonder.”
Moyer holds a bachelors degree from Washington State University. She joined Charles Wright’s faculty in 2002 and serves as the science department chair for all grade levels. She has also taught fifth grade and coached the Math Olympiad. She also enjoys home and landscape design.
