Mary Simun Is 'Earth Month Hero'

Mary Simun, the science teacher recognized by marine artist Wyland as an "Earth Month Hero," doesn't see herself as special.

"All this attention just is overwhelming to me," she told Redondo Beach Patch. "I don't understand why people think what I do is so extraordinary."

Really, she's "just happy to sit in [her] corner"; she'd rather see her students in the spotlight.

"I want them to go out and change the world the way they want to change the world," she said.

Students in her classes still learn the basics, but she also seeks to teach her students how to think critically and look at science through a different set of eyes instead of relying on rote memorization.

"Scarf and barf," or memorization and recitation, is not enough, she said, and students' brains are changing faster than teaching methods are evolving.

"We have to change the way we approach what we teach," she said.

To make her classes more relevant to today's world, Simun also emphasizes newer disciplines, such as nanoscience and biotechnology.

"They're cutting edge; they're current," she said. "History lessons just aren't enough."

In fact, she makes an effort to learn about new disciplines so she can pass on the knowledge to her students. She's even taken—and she now teaches—a nanoscience course at UCLA.

"They know what we do here is special … It matters. It's real," she said.

Getting her students excited about science excites Simun, who told Patch that she's a fourth-generation teacher who doesn't see herself as a teacher.

"I'm a biologist who landed in a teaching job," she explained. "I dream about biology."

Before she began teaching in a classroom, Simun worked at an outdoor education program, but she soon realized she would rather spend more time with her students than the five days the program allowed. So, she went back to school to get her teaching credential.

"I gave up being outside just so I could teach all year," she said, noting that she takes her students on field trips to the beach, SEA Lab and even around campus to learn about the outdoors.

"I love these children," she said. "That's the bottom line."

Simun said she appreciates the Earth Month Hero honor not because she thinks she deserves it, but because it's good for her students to see their teacher rewarded for working so hard on their behalf.

Budget cuts threatened by the state won't deter her from her work.

"I refuse to have [my students] miss out on anything because of budget problems," she said, noting that because she won't let students be deprived of learning experiences, she often pays for materials and supplies out of her own pocket. "Just because something's not easy doesn't mean it can't be done."

She's determined to set a good example for her students, so they can see how hard work helps attain goals.

"Whatever sacrifice I have to make, I'm going to make it," she said.

When she's not teaching, Simun volunteers at , the Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits, the , Algalita Marine Research Foundation and the Surfrider Foundation. She's also been a volunteer fieldworker with the Department of Fish and Game, as well as a forest ranger in the national forests.

As part of Wyland's Earth Month Heroes program, Simun received $500 for her classroom and was entered to win a grand prize of $5,000.