Faculty Spotlight

What is one of your favorite pedagogical moments at Loomis Chaffee?

I like to take my classes out of the classroom and have them do something different, so I started taking them to exhibits in the RAC (Richmond Art Center). There I have the students spend a period walking around and looking at the photos or paintings and then ask each of them to build a story around a work of art of their choosing. I like to cross boundaries between disciplines and observe things that would not necessarily be incorporated into an English classroom.

What makes Loomis Chaffee special to you?

There's really something for everyone. Some of my students went on to music conservatories or art schools; others competed in college athletics. Loomis Chaffee embraces all of those students and helps them each find their own paths.

What motivated you to become a science teacher?

I think that teaching science is an amalgamation of my interest in helping others and of my passion, science. It's great as a teacher to be able to show my students the mystery and beauty in chemistry.

What has been a transformational moment for you in teaching language?

After studying foreign language teaching methods and second language acquisition research at Vanderbilt, I reshaped many of my practices. The way I teach language now is in line with what current research has to say about how people learn languages.