After 17 years of experience in the environmental and life sciences industries, my career path now leads me down the road of science education. It took me awhile to come to this decision, but it is the right choice for me at this point in my life, and one that is truly aligned with my values and personal goals. In this short account, I will present my background, experience, and strategy to be a successful high school math and science teacher.
My interest the in sciences developed while earning my Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. While trying to choose a major, I discovered two defining principals about myself: 1) Within me there was a genuine interest in learning how things worked (in other words, trying to explain physical, chemical, and biological phenomena), and 2) I had a deep concern with environmental problems and wanted to understand more about how to solve them. My choice of environmental sciences was therefore appropriate.
After graduation my first job found me at Camp Dresser and McKee (CDM), a well known Cambridge based environmental engineering firm. This provided a great experience and introduction into the environmental industry. There, I worked in CDM’s environmental analysis laboratory and assisted project engineers, field staff, and planners with pollution detection and analysis. The Central Artery/Big Dig was one of our major projects. Here, we would determine the hazard level of millions of tons of excavated soil that was used for capping landfills and other fill purposes across the state. We made sure that watersheds in towns receiving this soil were not compromised in any way. I am proud of my contribution to protect water supplies in this state. In each annual report, the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) consistently confirms a high level of quality in our state’s drinking water. This has been the case since the Central Artery Project was completed.
While at CDM, I found myself wanting an advanced degree relevant to my industry and my interest to build a more subject-based background. Therefore, I enrolled in a Master of Science in chemistry at Northeastern University. I wanted to pursue this path to keep alive my long term goal of becoming an educator. The program allowed me to further develop my science background and skills as well as to grow relationships with professionals in other industries, such as biotechnology.
Towards the end of my seventh year at CDM, my career path changed: I pursued sales positions with companies that served pharmaceutical and biotechnology laboratories. This was a very different world compared to the environmental laboratory, but I was serious and motivated for this change. My interest in a sales career was fueled by by a desire to directly help people solve problems. Working for companies like Packard Biosciences and QIAGEN exposed me to some of the world's most intelligent scientists and cutting edge technologies. For example, while at Packard, I worked side by side with researchers at The Whitehead Institute, and together we confronted challenging technical issues in the race to sequence the human genome, which was completed towards the end of 2003. And at QIAGEN, I would consult daily with investigators trying to cure medical diseases who are extremely cautious about which tools and technologies to use to achieve the most accurate and reproducible results. For them, data quality means everything.
In the winter of 2007, I decided that a teaching career was an excellent choice. During this time, I was substituting in the Weymouth and Hingham school districts. Sitting face to face with the students in the classroom, I could picture myself enjoying every aspect of a teaching career. I was comfortable, happy, and invigorated by the classroom setting. I became motivated by the daily challenges, interactions, and the impact I would have on tomorrow's future. I thought of how wonderful it could be helping adolescents in the overall process of learning, growing, and maturing, and working with parents and the school organization to design educational plans for maximum results. I would be fulfilling a need in science education in Massachusetts. I also took the MTEL exam for chemistry and literacy (reading/writing) in May of 2007.
My plan to launch a successful teaching career begins with enrolling in the Fast Track Science Licensure program at Salem State College I have applied for September 2008 admission. This is an accelerated program in education preparation for my initial teaching license in Massachusetts. Next, I will obtain a conditional position as a secondary school chemistry teacher. I also will complete the MTEL. In the long term, I will reapply to the Department of Chemistry at Northeastern University and finish my MS degree. Last year, I spoke with Professor David Forsyth, Graduate Coordinator, and my matriculation status is active. I will be able to complete the degree by taking a maximum of two to three classes. In the meantime, I am tutoring math and science for high school students in Quincy and surrounding towns.