Teaching middle school science in the Bronx was never dull. One of the most challenging aspects was the relentlessness of job.  There was always so much to teach and so much to improve, a new deadline to prepare and lead a great lesson four times a day. I tried my best to do well so that my students could succeed, and I’m really proud of their achievements.

One of my favorite memories from teaching is taking my earth science class on a couple of field trips to a nearby park. At the end of the first trip I told them we were doing an exercise on latitude and longitude and lined them up shoulder to shoulder, with me about 20 ft in front of them. Then I surprised them by turning it into a race to the nearest tree (I lost). I used the photo of this event to drum up excitement for the next trip (see below – click for larger version). Running these field trips was a huge help in keeping the class excited about science.