Mrs. Elizabeth Klammer, a seventh grade science teacher at St. John’s Episcopal School, has been awarded the 2012 Ernest and Sarah Butler Award for Excellence in Science Teaching by the Texas Medical Association (TMA).

The annual award recognizes one elementary, one middle school and one high school science teacher in the state of Texas who share their energy and enthusiasm for science through creative and innovative methods in the classroom.

Klammer is this year’s middle school recipient.

Teaching the periodic table through element superhero role plays and trading cards; exploring qualitative and quantitative analysis through the hands-on study of rotting pumpkins; and approaching each day with an attitude that science instruction should be full of action words – mold, discover, push, pull – are a few of the techniques Mrs. Klammer uses to engage seventh graders at St. John’s.

“My personal belief about teaching is to keep it multi-sensory and fun,” she says.

St. John’s seventh grader Mateo Means confirms that she does just that. “Mrs. Klammer teaches us with a lot of labs,” he says. “When she explains something, she draws pictures and gives us things to touch and do so we can get it in our minds.”

Klammer will be recognized at TexMed, TMA’s annual meeting May 18, in Dallas. The honor includes a $5,000 personal award for Klammer and a $2,000 award for the St. John’s science curriculum. Says Klammer about her career, “I consider teaching science my calling. I am here to nurture young kids’ problem-solving skills and make future medical professionals, inventors and scientists.”