STEM Coordinator Deana Sain Named as a TSTA Teacher of the Year
Mrs. Deana Sain, who currently serves Hardeman County Schools as the STEM coordinator, has been named as the Tennessee Science Teachers Association (TSTA) Teacher of the Year for grades fifth through eighth.
On Tuesday, October 31, 2023, Senator Page Walley congratulated Mrs. Sain and presented her with a proclamation to recognize the positive influence she has on so many young lives.
The proclamation states, in part, “Deana Sain truly epitomizes the dedicated teacher who is wholly committed to the highest ideals of public service and quality education for all, and she should be specially recognized.”
One of the things she realized when her mother passed away was that she wanted to do something more than make a living. Sain previously worked as a Librarian Media Specialist at Bolivar Middle School. She has a Bachelor’s of Science degree in accounting with a minor in computer science, and also completed her Masters of Arts degree in Education with an emphasis in curriculum and instruction. She noted maker space and STEM become conversation in the school district in 2018.
“Education goes in cycles and it was moving from always English/reading and math, and they suddenly started doing this thing about STEM. Well, STEM is not new to me. I think they first said the acronym in 2001, but in 2003, we [Bolivar Elementary School] were the first NASA STEM School in the State of Tennessee and I was on the NASA STEM grant. Helen Henning was the science teacher and we put me under technology, because I loved computers. We had a math teacher on there and Ms. Mamie Polk was our principal. STEM has been around a long time for me. I have always loved it and enjoyed it,” said Sain who now gets to educate students across the county teaching them about STEM.
Hardeman County Schools shared, “Mrs. Sain is a proud educator of 27 years and is well known for seeking opportunities to support all teachers while maximizing excellence in teaching and learning. With an unwavering commitment to teach and inspire, Mrs. Sain possesses a wealth of knowledge while modeling learning through explorations using hands-on demonstrations to enrich the students, teachers, and leaders across her school community.”
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