Teacher: Mr. Glass
What college did you go to?
Seattle University.
What did you major in?
I have a major in General Science which is a fancy way of saying I have a major concentration in biology and a minor concentration in physics and chemistry.
What degrees do you have?
I have a Masters in Teaching from Seattle University and a degree in Educational Administration from Seattle University.
What made you pursue the field of science?
I like knowing how things work? [laughter]
Did you know at first what you wanted to do in college?
I knew before I went to college that I wanted to pursue a degree in science. My degree is actually under the umbrella of a pre-med degree. I really was shooting for medicine for a long time until I realized other people’s blood…doesn’t work with me!
What made you want to teach?
I had the opportunity in college to tutor some people in a couple of different things. It was part of a class thing I was doing where I worked part-time during college. Some people who were studying to get their nursing degree needed help in math and biology and chemistry and they knew I was studying that so I helped them out…and I liked it! So that’s how teaching came about.
Best memory?
The day I graduated was my best memory! [laughter] All my favorite memories have to do with some sort of teacher experience where something we did in class caused me to look at things slightly differently than I looked at before.
Worst memory?
Being taught genetics by some guy who was just getting his PhD cause he didn’t know how to teach anything. It was the most awful experience I had. It clued me in that being a good teacher you actually have to know your subject and also know how to explain it well TOO!
What is one thing that you would tell your high-school self after going through college?
Enjoy your hair while it lasts I would say! [On a more serious note:] All of those electives you took in college, those introductory classes you took, they’re totally worth it. It makes you a more rounded person. That’s what I did in college, in my free periods. It made me more well rounded. It gave me an opportunity to learn about other fields.
What advice do you have for the graduating class of 2018?
Keep your high school notes handy! Science is not just in the classroom. Try to experience science outside the classroom whether something as simple as you’re helping out with a planting-the-trees kind of thing or testing water quality or working an internship in environmental studies…whatever it is, try to get some sort of science experience outside college because it’ll clue you into how science really works in the world.
Into the Jungle 