Jennifer Thompson did not want to be a teacher when she graduated from Marshfield High School in 1975. But the United States government is glad she reconsidered.

Last month, the Coos Bay native was awarded the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Teaching for her work at Gastineau Elementary School in the Juneau (Alaska) School District.

Before entering the teaching ranks about a decade ago, Thompson worked as a ski patroller and river guide. But when her two children arrived on the scene, she decided it was time to pursue a career that would allow her more time at home, and fewer health risks.

“Since so much of my outdoor work involved education and because I was also fascinated with my growing young children, going back for my teaching certificate made a lot of sense,” she wrote in an e-mail.

After three years at the University of Alaska Southeast in Juneau, Thompson applied for a job at Gastineau. She was assigned to a mixed kindergarten and first-grade classroom, which she has taught for the last nine years.

It was the style she used in teaching science that caught the eye of Angela Lunda, the principal at Gastineau, and the person who nominated Thompson for the award.

“I have learned that children come to school with a lot of ideas of the way the world works. They want to test it out - they are constantly thinking about their world,” she said in an e-mail. “My job as a teacher and guide is to listen to their ideas and possibly extend their thinking.”

In keeping with her former professions, Thompson likes to get her students outside the classroom. For a curriculum on wetlands, she had her students recreate outdoor environments in the classrooms before venturing out to explore the real thing. As a result of receiving the prestigious award, Thompson will be able to purchase plenty of learning materials for her students. In addition to the awards ceremony in Washington and visiting with the president at the White House, Thompson received $10,000 from the National Science Foundation.

“Children are important teachers for us and especially in this time of high stakes testing, we have to advocate for real experiences for young children,” she said.