Endless days in a lab with buckets of dead bugs drove Nathan Yaussy (OH ’19) from research science to teaching: “I realized that I needed people to talk to.”
Katie McQuone (CA ’19) originally planned to teach elementary school, but when a job opened up leading the Video Production Academy at her alma mater, the fit felt right. “High school students are on the verge of figuring out their whole life,” she says. “It’s so exciting to help them get on their way.”
Principal Brian Cox (WY ’19) believes middle schools need educators whose skills reach beyond their subject areas: “Teaching developmental behavior and coaching kids through an awkward phase of life requires the best and brightest.”
In addition to math and career skills, Nick Peruski (MI ’19) teaches resiliency: “Life is full of inevitable setbacks, but when my students encounter one, I hope they are able to pick themselves up, dust themselves off and move on.”
English teacher Steven Gamache (LA ’19) thrives in the toughest educational environments. He and his principal are on their second school turnaround: “We are changing the trajectory for thousands of kids.”
Dan Willever’s students at New Jersey’s Ramsey High School collect oral histories from war veterans and presented diplomas to two men who dropped out 75 years ago to serve in World War II. “Students may forget what they read out of a textbook, but they will never forget that day,” says Dan (NJ ’19). “I hope the world will be better off for it.”
Ben Nguyen (NV ’19) wants his students to remember that success means learning to persevere through adversity and frustration: “Failure is a great teacher.”
For psychology teacher Alison Ter Horst (SD ’19), success as a student means loving others, respecting your peers and personal growth.
Science teacher Liz Landes encourages students to stretch and take risks: “Staying in your comfort zone is not conducive to true learning.”
Through a prestigious fellowship for STEM educators, Amara Alexander (AL ’16) is spending the 2019-20 school year at the Library of Congress.
