FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla — The best teachers are willing to go above and beyond for their students.
One Mainer might be taking that a bit far, and her students love her for it.
Karin Paquin took flight Thursday and had her first simulated weightlessness experience at 27,000 feet. Paquin is a science teacher at St. John’s Catholic School in Brunswick.
In August, she began working with Teachers in Space, a national nonprofit that works to improve STEM curriculum in schools; though the end goal is in the name.
Paquin was one of five teachers chosen to take the trip out of 50 applicants from around the country.
During the flight, which was described as limited-gravity, the pilot repeatedly flew up, then curved down in a parabola to create about 22 seconds of weightlessness each time.
It's all in the name of science, and Paquin said her students have already been working hard on physics problems related to the flight.
"It made it feel like, 'OK, all this work, it matters; it’s going to help them; they’re excited about it,'" Paquin said during a Thursday virtual interview from the tarmac, minutes after her flight landed.
It wasn’t just a joyride. Each teacher brought a special cube that their students built.
The cubes contained sensors that collected data during the flight, which Paquin’s students are eager to study once she gets back to Maine. They were also eager to tell her how much she means to them, and ask some scientific questions.
"I would probably say, first of all, did you throw up?" Gregory, a 7th grader asked, stepping out of a Thursday class which would normally be taught by Paquin.
"She’s really dedicated to her job, I feel. She’s a really good teacher," Wesley added, also in 7th grade.
"She’s very brave for doing that," Alana said, another 7th grader. "I think of her not as a teacher figure, but, like, as aunt maybe."
We played the recordings of the student interviews for Paquin, who briefly welled up with tears before saying that hearing their excitement and appreciation validated all of the work she puts into creating new experiences for her students.
"I’m meeting my goals as a teacher by allowing them to explore the sciences in a way that they want to," she said.
It’s hard to find a more extraordinary science lesson than from a teacher who brings her students close to the stars.