My First NSTA Conference: What I Learned, What Teachers Asked, and Why Switch Classroom Showed Up

By Jillian Swets

Last week, I traveled to the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) Conference for the first time, both as a member of the Switch Classroom team and as a former STEM teacher. Before leaving the classroom, I taught a variety of environmental Career Tech classes in Oklahoma. Without a set curriculum, I constantly struggled to find engaging, rigorous content that actually worked for my students.

During my final year of teaching, I discovered Switch Classroom while hunting for ready-made lesson plans for my Renewable Energy course. I loved how easy it was to find videos, quizzes, labs, and reading materials for topics on energy and the environment, plus the freedom to modify activities for all the different learners in my classroom. When I decided to step out of teaching, joining Switch Classroom felt natural. I deeply believed in our mission to advance energy literacy through accessible, nonpartisan resources.

Now, as a Program Associate for Switch Classroom, I help connect teachers and schools to our resources. On any given day, you can find me creating and uploading content, planning professional development, coordinating conferences, and connecting with educators. Since joining the team in June, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how to support teachers like me — teachers who are searching for accessible, adaptable resources that meet the needs of any student — and preparing for conference season with that purpose in mind.

That’s why I was so excited to attend NSTA and share these resources with educators face-to-face.

So…What is NSTA Actually Like?

As a first-time NSTA attendee, I walked in not knowing what to expect. Even though seasoned attendees said this year’s turnout was smaller, I was still blown away by the energy in the room. Every single educator I met had this spark – an excitement about science teaching and a genuine desire to collaborate and learn from each other.

One of my favorite moments happened during our “Harnessing the Wind” session, where teachers teamed up to design and build windmills. The creativity I saw was incredible. Each table had a completely different design, and with a little healthy competition, the room felt alive. Watching teachers brainstorm with one another made me so excited to think about how this activity would travel back to their students.

Those moments, watching educators collaborate and learn from each other, are what make NSTA so special.

My Personal NSTA Experience

To be honest, I was nervous going into the conference. I’d never attended an event of this size, let alone represented an organization at one. But as soon as the exhibit hall opened, those nerves disappeared. I loved talking with teachers from all over the country, chatting with our booth neighbors, and yes, playing with the adorable foster puppies (it took everything in me not to bring one home).

Most of all, I loved seeing how teachers reacted when they learned that our entire Switch Classroom team is made up of educators. They immediately understood that we “get it”: the long days, the changing curriculum, and the pressure to make science engaging and fun for our students.

I also enjoyed connecting with other exhibitors doing meaningful work in science education. These conversations sparked ideas for new partnerships and resources that can better support teachers. Given my background in starting a sustainable agriculture program at my former school, I was especially excited to meet the hydroponics exhibitors. The wheels were turning with ideas for new resources we could create around agriculture and energy demand.

“Empowering” doesn’t even begin to cover it. The whole experience reaffirmed why I joined Switch Classroom in the first place.

Introducing Switch Classroom to Teachers Who Had Never Heard of Us

Even though Switch Classroom has attended NSTA before, this was our first time bringing our resources to the Upper Midwest. During our sessions, our presenter, Lynn Kistler, always started by asking attendees to raise their hands if they’d heard of Switch before. We only saw a few hands in each room…and honestly, we love that.

The whole reason we go to conferences is to meet new educators, listen to what they need, and help them discover tools that actually make their lives easier.

I told people at the booth that Switch Classroom is a completely free energy education resource focused on developing energy literacy. Our online Resource Library has over 350 lesson plans, activities, and alignment guides, all focused on energy and the environment. Plus, everything is no-prep, so it’s ready to print and put in front of your students immediately. But, if you’re like I was in the classroom and need the ability to adapt lessons, everything is also 100% editable to meet your students’ needs.

As a team composed entirely of current and former educators, we love sharing our work because we know how important it is to have accessible and adaptable resources. Having this conversation with teachers completely changed the way they viewed our organization.

That moment, the “switch”, was one of my favorite parts of the conference.

What Teachers Wanted to Know: “Is It Really Free?”

The most common question I heard at our booth, by far, was: “Is it really free?”

Every time I said “yes,” people turned around, came back, or grabbed as many resources as they could fit into their tote bags. It was incredible.

Another big concern I heard was: “I’m sure you don’t have resources for my grade level.”

Teachers were shocked (in a good way) to learn that everything Switch Classroom creates is fully adaptable for grades K–12. All our materials can be downloaded in editable formats, so teachers can adjust them to fit any classroom, whether they’re teaching fourth-grade science or high school physics.

Educators really loved hearing that they could plug our lessons into their existing curriculum, use them for sub days, or even build full units around them.

Switch Classroom resources are flexible by design…and it was clear that adaptability mattered a lot to the teachers we spoke with.

The Resources Teachers Couldn’t Get Enough Of

At NSTA, we handed out hundreds of free, zero-prep lessons that teachers could take home and use the very next day (especially considering there was one week before Thanksgiving Break). Some attendee favorites included:

• Energy After the Fest: Holiday Resource (Food Waste + Biofuels): Perfect for the chaotic stretch before Thanksgiving break – teachers loved that it was topical, engaging, and ready to go.

• Intro to Wind + Intro to Electricity: These full lesson plans include bell ringers, videos, quizzes, data sets, labs, exit tickets, and more. Middle School and early HS teachers loved this as a starter resource!

• Understanding Energy Transformations: A great conceptual lesson for any science class. Perfect for showing students how energy is all around us.

• Play-Doh Electric Circuits: Instant engagement. Teachers loved the hands-on factor and could immediately picture their students diving into it.

• Earth & Environmental Science Alignment Guide: This one flew off the table. It aligns the entire course to Switch Classroom resources and makes hitting NGSS standards so much easier.

Seeing everyone so excited about these tools reminded me of why I fell in love with our resources when I was in the classroom. The free Resource Library has hundreds of resources (all easy to find and use) that make science come alive for your students. As a teacher, it’s hard not to get excited about that.

Want to Explore What We Shared at NSTA? Start Here.

Whether you found us at NSTA or you’re discovering Switch Classroom for the first time, I’d love for you to sign up for a free teacher account and explore the resource library for yourself.

On the site, you’ll find:

• Fun labs and hands-on activities your students will actually love
  
• Topical monthly lessons (often tied to holidays)
  
• Fully editable downloads
  
• More than 350 resources across all grade levels
  

If you’re looking for a starting point, try our Introduction to Energy lesson; it’s perfect for any grade level and helps students confidently explore foundational energy concepts.

You can also subscribe to our newsletter for monthly updates on our brand-new resources, professional development opportunities, and any other goodies we can send to your inbox.

Heading Home From NSTA: Why I’m More Hopeful Than Ever

Exhibiting at NSTA made me incredibly hopeful about the future of energy education. Seeing how many teachers were excited (not intimidated) by energy concepts reaffirmed why we do what we do.

I flew home energized to create new resources for the educators we met, build more partnerships, and continue spreading Switch Classroom’s mission of advancing energy literacy.

If NSTA showed me anything, it’s that teachers are ready for this…and I’m excited to continue helping make it possible!