I'm Alyse

Hi, I'm Alyse — the Teacher Behind Craft & Query Co.

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For more than 15 years, I've been a high school science teacher, teaching Earth & Space Science and Chemistry in school districts of all shapes, sizes, and socioeconomic backgrounds. I've worked with just about every kind of learner, but I've always had a soft spot for the quirky ones—the students who think outside the box, challenge expectations, ask unexpected questions, and keep classroom life interesting.

 

I also have a master's degree in adolescent literacy, and that background gives me a different lens on teaching science. It's helped me think more carefully about where students get stuck, why they get stuck, and what they need to move forward. Sometimes that means unpacking complicated vocabulary, building background knowledge, or breaking a complex idea into more manageable pieces.

 

But here's the important part: breaking something down doesn't mean watering it down. I want students to have the support they need to do the thinking themselves, not have all the thinking done for them. That balance between meaningful challenge and intentional support shapes just about everything I create.

 

I'm a teacher who loves learning just as much as teaching. I'm endlessly curious about how the brain works, why students learn the way they do, and how we can make science education more meaningful. I'm especially interested in inquiry-based science teaching, student-centered investigations, storyline-driven instruction, the 5E instructional model, and social-emotional learning (SEL).

 

I believe the best science lessons are the ones where students aren't just memorizing vocabulary or following directions. They're asking questions, analyzing evidence, building models, and figuring things out for themselves. That's the philosophy behind the NGSS-aligned Earth Science investigations, hands-on labs, and classroom resources I create for Craft & Query Co.

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Finding My Way Back to Creative Teaching

But somewhere along the way—between COVID, ever-growing responsibilities, and the constant pressure on teachers—I lost touch with my own creativity. It got buried under paperwork, mandates, and exhaustion.

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And eventually, I realized how much I missed that part of teaching.

I missed coming up with interesting ideas, experimenting with different approaches, and figuring out how to get students to actually understand something instead of just memorizing it. I wanted more time for the parts of teaching that make me think, challenge me, and keep things interesting.

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So I started making more room for that again. That's really how Craft & Query Co. took shape. It became a place to bring together my love of science, my curiosity about how students learn, and my interest in creating lessons that make students think.

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Today, I create inquiry-based science lessons and investigations that help middle and high school teachers move beyond memorization and get students genuinely thinking. My resources are rooted in real classroom experience, thoughtful instructional design, and the belief that students learn science best when they're doing the sense-making themselves.

I'm also a full-time teacher, mom, wife, and human being trying to keep all the plates spinning. Some days that goes better than others.

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If you're a science teacher who wants students to think more deeply, ask better questions, and actually understand what they're learning—or you're simply looking to bring a little more creativity back into your classroom—you're in the right place.

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Welcome to Craft & Query Co. Let's make science make sense.