by Jen Myers

(Each month, Wellpoint, InsideLowell and Lowell Public Schools honor a Lowell teacher for their exemplary work in the classroom and for going the extra mile to serve as a positive influence in the lives of their students. Wellpoint also awards each honoree a $250 gift card to be used for school supplies)

Know your audience.

At UMass Lowell, students studying engineering work on plans to build bridges and office buildings. In the STEM Lab at the McAuliffe Elementary School, 4th graders are designing and building gnome homes.

STEM Lab teacher Jessica Markey draws the students into the land and lifestyle of these forest dwellers through a video storybook, pointing out the materials the gnomes would have to work with in the forest – moss, tree trunks, mushrooms, leaves, and more. You need to think like a gnome to build a gnome home.

Then the kids are set off to unleash their creativity in ways that best speak to them – they can build from scratch using Legos, redesign and improve upon existing gnome homes built by previous classes, or draw their gnome homes using accent stickers of doors and windows to make them pop.

The room is buzzing with energy as the kids get to work at tables and on the floor, sifting through Lego pieces or furiously sketching their ultimate forest hideaway. Markey works her way through the room helping ease the anxiety of students who are having a little creative block with her easy smile and smart suggestions. Soon everyone is creating and smiling and the room is almost quiet.

Experiencing her infectious excitement and energy, one would think Markey was a new teacher – fresh out of the box, but she has been a fixture at the McAuliffe Elementary School since 2004.

She grew up in the Centralville neighborhood, yearning to become a zoologist and go to Australia to study animals. As she got older, Markey realized she was slightly more interested in humans than wombats.

“I was fascinated with how and why people think the way they think and what motivates them,” said Markey, who earned a degree in Psychology from UMass Lowell, thinking she may become a psychologist, but then a couple of summer jobs changed her course.

“I worked at a summer camp for students with autism and we would go on exploratory trips like sensory horseback riding,” she said. “I had also worked at parks and recreation camp in Lowell and realized how much fun I had jumping into a kid’s world and creating. It was an environment where I felt like I could be truly comfortable and inspired!”

After earning her Psychology degree, Markey headed right back to UML to get her Master’s in Education.

She completed some of her student teaching at the McAuliffe in the spring in 2004, landed a full time job that fall, and has never looked back.

She taught fourth-grade for seven years and third-grade for seven years. Seven years ago, she took a leap and applied for the STEM teacher position.

“I really started with a huge burst of creative ideas when I interviewed for the job,” Markey said, attributing those ideas to having three curious young learners at home. “I remember enthusiastically rattling off a list of ideas to the interviewers with pictures and captions but no real knowledge of how I was going to pull it all off.  Ever since that first pitch in the interview, I have been gathering, foraging, accepting generous donations, and refining the things that were once in my head to become centers that students can try and projects that students can dig their feet into.”

The result? Wild success.

“Jessica has taken our Content Literacy Program and reimagined it over the last 7 years,” said McAuliffe Principal David Anderson. “What used to be a Special that had students passively engaging with material has turned into a hands-on adventure into creativity, teamwork, and critical thinking. Jess takes our Science standards at each grade level and finds ways to make them come alive for students by incorporating choice activities, hands-on learning, and technology into the content.”

Additionally, she plans the school’s family STEM night, an event that has become so popular they had to move it from the cafeteria to the gym this year to accommodate more people.

“She is a behind-the-scenes teacher leader who always has the pulse of the school and works to keep our culture positive and collaborative for kids, staff, and their families,” Anderson said.

Markey said being able to teach students in grades K-4 rather than just one grade keeps her teaching skills always sharp and allows her to grow.

“I love that I can refine and deepen a lesson as I teach it across multiple classes within the same grade, which allows me to improve my instruction in real time and carry those insights forward year after year,” she said. “I also appreciate the wide range of developmental stages I encounter—from the playful, wholehearted enthusiasm of kindergarteners to the laid-back, inquisitive nature of fourth graders. Each age brings something uniquely joyful to my day, and the rhythm of my schedule is never dull.”

STEM Lab, she says, is an essential part of education because it builds critical thinking and problem solving skills students will use throughout their lives, while allowing them to explore their curiosity and discover new things.

“Through hands-on exploration, students practice real problem-solving: building prototypes, testing their ideas, and revising when things don’t go as planned,” she said. “STEM invites students to investigate concepts like animal adaptations or biomes with genuine curiosity, encouraging questions, exploration, and the understanding that discovery often begins with not knowing the answer.”

Much like she was as a child, Markey said her students are innately curious and love learning about interesting animals and phenomena from around the world. They also enjoy coding and working with robots, and of course, building with Legos.

“My favorite single lesson to teach is having students learn about homes around the world and sustainable solutions,” she said. “Students have to blend the old with the new and come up with home designs that combine elements of the past with eco-friendly solutions of the future.”

When her students head off to middle school, Markey hopes they have developed the confidence to try and fail, to learn from their mistakes, and to take healthy risks on their ideas.

“Above all, I want them to believe, deeply and unwaveringly, that their imaginations are limitless wells of possibility and inspiration,” she said.

All About Ms. Markey

Hobbies: reading, yoga, gardening, cooking, and hiking
Dream Vacation: Italy or anywhere tropical
Favorite song to sing in the car: Currently, it’s ‘Man I Need’ by Olivia Dean, though I cycle through favorites so often it’s almost comical
Favorite meal: Clam Chowder with lots of crackers
Favorite snack: Sea Salt Dark Chocolate
Favorite Movie: The Fountain
Favorite Book: The Secret Life of Addie LaRue
Favorite TV Show: Game of Thrones
Favorite Fictional Character: Feyre Archeron or Chrysanthemum