Check out our interview with Jeremiah!

Can you tell us a bit about your journey into science and education? What inspired you to become a teacher? 

My interest in science sparked when I was in middle school when I first learned about cells, and it completely changed my perspective about myself. This drove me to want to understand more about myself, and throughout high school, I kept my passion for science.

After high school, I attended the University of Arizona, where I continued to delve deeper into my passion for cells by majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology. At the University of Arizona, I sought out a position as an undergraduate researcher for one of my instructors and began researching the nature of large chromosomal rearrangements using yeast as a model organism.

After completing my undergraduate studies, I was offered a position at the University of California, Berkeley, to work with Doug Koshland on understanding the mechanism responsible for the cohesive nature of cohesins, a class of protein complexes involved in the maintenance of sister chromatid cohesion during mitosis—a process that allows for the proper segregation of chromosomes as cells reproduce.

From there, I moved back to Arizona and got a position at the non-profit organization TGen in Phoenix, where I worked on Triple-Negative Breast Cancer and the tumor suppressor protein ING4. While working at TGen, I had the opportunity to start teaching night classes at a local acupuncture college, where I taught Chemistry, Biology, Organic Chemistry, and Biochemistry. I found that I really enjoyed teaching. My students could feel the passion I had for the subject material and my enthusiasm tends to be contagious and seems to rub off on people.

When funding for my project at TGen dwindled, I decided to make the transition into education, as I found that I was really enjoying my experience teaching. I was offered a full-time position at a local charter school, where I headed the high school IB Biology program and taught a number of science and service-learning classes, including a middle school honors science class.

You’ve had an impressive career in both research and teaching. How has your experience in research, particularly with projects like studying proteins involved in chromosome segregation and triple-negative breast cancer, influenced your approach to teaching?

I feel like one thing that schools, in general, particularly fail at is helping students embrace failure as part of the learning process. Especially when I was growing up, it was expected that, as a student, you produce, then get graded, and then move on to a new topic—there was no process in between.

Once you are out in the real world, you realize that failure is often part of the process and is required, especially in science, as it helps you learn new things. Being at the edge of new knowledge is a wonderful feeling, and to be among the first to know something can be exhilarating. My hope is that I can help my students become comfortable with failing forward and encourage them to seek out feedback.

You’ve taught both high school and college-level courses. What excites you about working with middle school students, and how do you plan to inspire their curiosity and passion for science?

The wonderful thing about middle schoolers is that they are in the middle of discovering who they are and who they want to be in the future. They also eat up knowledge like sponges. It's the perfect stage in life to find your passion for science, and I hope I am inspiring my students to find their own love for science.

What is your teaching philosophy when it comes to engaging students in subjects like chemistry and biology?

There are many different approaches to engaging students. I find that a really effective medium for middle school students is music. Luckily, in life sciences, there are excellent resources that use music to engage students in content. It's an excellent way to integrate art and science, and art is an excellent medium for communication.

You’ve worked on developing rigorous curricula as an IB Biology teacher. How do you plan to bring that experience to AVS, and what are you most excited about in developing science programs here?

There are really two large aspects of IB Biology that I am integrating into my teaching at Alta Vista. The first is the Theory of Knowledge. Understanding how we know what we know is an important way to mold students into critical thinkers. It prompts students to be more critical about information, consider where knowledge comes from, and realize that our understanding of the world around us is much more nuanced than at first glance.

The second aspect of IB Biology that I am integrating into my teaching at Alta Vista is a rigorous, independent student project. Students will have the opportunity to design and implement their own research projects this trimester, which they will present at our science expo in February.

In addition to your scientific expertise, you have a passion for Lindy Hop dance. How do you see your love for dance and creativity influencing your teaching or connecting with students?

The wonderful thing about partnered dances like Lindy Hop is that they have a foundation in communication. The key to dancing well is to communicate clearly with your dance partner, and when dancing to music like jazz—which has a history of improvisation—it really opens up the dancer's ability to be creative and endlessly iterate as they feel the music.

That willingness to improvise is something I bring to my classroom. In order to grow as a teacher, you have to be willing to iterate in the classroom to find out what works for your students. Teaching, in many ways, is like a dance—we all have to find our own rhythm.

What’s one thing you’re most enjoying in your role at AVS?

For me, it's really all about the students. We have an excellent group of kids at the middle school, which, as a teacher, really allows you to push the boundaries of what is possible in a middle school classroom.

Outside of the classroom, what are some of your hobbies or interests, and how do they influence the way you approach teaching?

In addition to my love of dancing, I enjoy playing strategy- and tactical-based games. I enjoy thinking through problems, and as a teacher, it's an excellent skill to have. I am also a big fan of fantasy novels and love books rich with lore. I’m a big Game of Thrones nerd—Valar Morghulis. Which you likely could deduce from the names of my dogs, Martin and Nymeria.