What inspired your love of science? I enjoy finding satisfying explanations for why the world ticks the way that it does. It's not too far off from wanting to know the secret behind a magician’s illusion. Science allows me to look behind the curtain. What are the last three books you read? • An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green • Dune by Frank Herbert • A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin What are three things your students have taught you? • Having an expert-understanding of chemistry is not essential for everyone. I’ve frequently seen the quote, “Be kind for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about” posted on social media and it sometimes reminds me of my students. Many have a lot going on personally, and I try to be more empathetic than I used to when they struggle. • The world would be a happier place if all school, personal, and life decisions were multiple choice. Unfortunately, they are not. • I am always going to be about three years behind the current youthful trends. *Dabs Name three things that bring you joy: • Kayaking with my wife, Jamie • Riding bicycles with my kids • Making lists What motivated you to start “Fire Friday?” I enjoy all good demonstrations that can showcase different chemistry concepts, but fire experiments have always elicited the best response from students. For example, I could be showing how acids and bases could change the colors of different substances but would be met with “But can we light it on fire?” Since fire was requested so frequently, I found it easier to tell them to “just wait till Friday” to at least keep the fire demos exclusive to one specific day. Why did you choose to teach at Shiloh? I was finishing up graduate school when I was searching for research lab positions. I knew Debbie Diehm from church, and she asked if I’d be interested in teaching just a single College Chemistry course part-time. It was the only teaching job interview I did, while the others were for laboratory positions. Greg Jones, the secondary dean at the time, encouraged me to consider and pray about taking the educational path full-time. After a week of prayer, I felt led to the frightening world of high school teaching. Now, it’s hard for me to imagine not being a teacher. FACULTY SPOTLIGHT 7
10 Publizr Home