Buchholz High School chemistry teacher Marilyn Booher often tells her students that in the future they will probably never do another titration calculation or write another equilibrium constant expression. What she wants them to get out of her classes goes much deeper than that.

“I want them to have learned how to learn,” said Booher. “That’s the most important thing, because learning’s a lifelong process.”

Booher’s success in helping her students become lifelong learners has now earned her statewide recognition. She was recently named the Florida Chemistry Teacher of the Year by the American Chemistry Society, and will be heading to Orlando later this week to accept the award.

“It’s very humbling,” said Booher of her selection. “I mean, how do you top that? That’s winning the lottery is what it is.”

Booher has been teaching chemistry for 32 years, 26 of them at Buchholz. But her experiences in the field of chemistry extend beyond the classroom. She has spent many of her summers working in private industry, doing food testing for American Biological and Chemical, for instance, or working on a bioactive glass project at US Biomaterials. Those experiences provide her with a wealth of insight she can share with her students.

“She’ll tell us stories about things that have happened to her that are funny, but they also help us remember because they have something to do with the topic we’re studying,” said junior Bailey Overstreet.

“She really knows what she’s talking about,” said classmate Tessa Yelton. “She doesn’t even need the book to teach, she can just talk and explain everything.”

Booher’s students say that she also shares with them her experience and wisdom about issues other than chemistry, such as relationships and peer pressure.

“She’s not just a chemistry teacher,” said junior March Richardson. “She really gives us advice about life. I’d trust her with almost anything.”

Even after 32 years in the classroom, Booher says she still enjoys helping students make new discoveries.

“I love seeing eyes brighten,” she said. “That ‘oooh,’ that’s my favorite sound in the whole world.”