7th, 8th, 10-12th Grade Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher in Schenectady, NY – Schalmont Central School District
2023-24 Fellow: Regina Hanson is entering her 14th year of teaching as a Family and Consumer Sciences Educator. She teaches in Schalmont Central School District of upstate New York. Additionally, Regina currently works at a local restaurant where she has been for 20 years, furthering her real-life experience in the culinary world.
She first learned about the Pilot Light Fellowship when a colleague sent her the link to their website thinking that this was something she would want to implement into her classroom. Regina enjoys educating her students using her knowledge and real-life experiences to help and give her students the best tools for them to be successful in and out of the classroom. Regina knows and understands the importance of Food Education and the impact it has and can have in her students’ lives. She is looking forward to learning more during the Fellowship that she can share with her students.
Favorite Food Education Standard: FES #1: Food Connects Us to Each Other.
It is extremely difficult to choose just one of the seven standards as they are all critically important for not only our students, but their families and communities. However, if I had to choose one I would choose FES #1 because to me, it’s what makes all of the standards equal in importance. Once we realize that food connects us all, we can begin to learn and recognize that all of the other standards are just as important and helps us to learn and grow as individuals, families and communities in making better choices and providing better options for us all not only as a local community but on a national and global communities scale.
A Favorite Food Memory or Recipe:
One of my favorite food memories was walking into the back kitchen of my parent’s diner and watching my father prepare meals for the customers and always wanting to help!
Why I Became a Fellow:
I am most excited to learn from the Food Education Fellowship community and taking what I learn from them to create a more engaging and exciting classroom environment for my students and myself!
