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If you only have time to look at one thing, this presentation I gave at a Chemistry Department Seminar at Wake Forest University in 2018 gives a basic overview of my teaching philosophy, some activities I do in my classroom, and overall why I chose to use my degree in chemistry to teach high school. 


Virtual Learning

Copy of Virtual Lab: Color Vision

Physics Online Simulator

Since at-home experiments were hard to come by for science classes during online learning, I leaned heavily on online simulators to replace activities we would normally do in class. This is an example of how I turned a typical in-person physics lab into a hands-on virtual experience using tools available online. 

Chromatography Lab

Do-At-Home Chemistry

This is a lab I designed for students to be able to experience chemistry at home during online learning. It focuses on experiment design and critical thinking, asking students to make observations and reach conclusions to questions based on those observations. 

Determination of the Empirical Formulas of Various Compounds

AP Chemistry Virtual Lab

This is a "virtual lab" that I created for my AP Chemistry students to work through and have as much of a lab experience as possible while they were learning online. Look for cameos from our resident lab dinos!

Classroom Activities

Copy of Wallace vs. Darwin--Assignment

History of Science: Darwin v. Wallace

There is some debate amongst historians whether Charles Darwin or Alfred Russel Wallace should get the credit for developing the theory of evolution. This assignment asked students to split into three groups: Darwin (Defendant), Wallace (Plaintiff), and the Jury and present their case as if in a courtroom.  Details about the historical context and outlines for the expectations of the assignment are included in the attached document. 

Chemistry: Bubble Lab

In this introductory chemistry lab, students explore experiment design by going through several iterations of the scientific method. They get to research and design their own method of blowing the "best" bubbles for a class competition to close out the lab!

Copy of Bubbles Experiment
Unit 6 notes part 2.pdf

AP CHemistry: Guided NOtes

This is a sample of the annotated lecture notes I provide to my AP Chemistry classes. These are original and mostly hand-drawn and edited by me. I have a notes packet for them at the beginning of each unit. 

Sample Lesson Plans

Here is an example of a week's worth of lesson plans for an Honors Geometry Class. I organize all the links, notes, and materials my students will need in one place so they can easily access all the tools they will need to be successful in class. 

Copy of Honors Geometry Week 4

End-of-Semester Fun!

At the end of each semester, I try to make sure kids remember why chemistry is fun. The week before winter break, we organize a gingerbread periodic table (see photos below). Students mix, bake, and decorate the entire thing themselves. In the spring, we tie-dye t-shirts  after learning about organic chemistry, polymers, and acid dyes. Examples of student work at right. 

Outside the Classroom

Backpacking in Patagonia

This 10-day trip into the backcountry of Chile's Patagonia National Park was a chance for students to experience the benefits of outdoor education while studying firsthand the effects of climate change and environmental stewardship on a landscape. 

Waka in New Zealand

On this trip to New Zealand, students studied the Maori culture and how many of its traditional practices have been incorporated into post-colonial society. Here, we are learning how to paddle a waka, the traditional Polynesian canoe that brought most Maori to New Zealand. 

A Moment of Reflection

Our school has a weekly Community Meeting where students and faculty are invited to write and share original "moments of reflection" in front of the entire school audience. This particular moment of reflection was presented on Inauguration Day, 2021. 

(note: during the pandemic, our community meetings were live streamed on YouTube)

School HOnor Code

This is a sample of our school honor code that I helped develop and implement as an Honor Dean and a Dean of Students. This was a collaborative effort between faculty, staff, and students. The artwork is original and done by student volunteers. 

Just for Fun

Joshua Tree National Park

Yosemite National Park

Acadia National Park

Grand Canyon National Park