I had the great fortune of having truly inspirational chemistry instructors in both high school

and college. Like my high school teacher and college chemistry professors, I want to teach
more than the memorization of equations, formulas, and reactions. I hope to ignite students'
enthusiasm to learn and apply the fundamentals of chemistry and math. I also will strive to
connect the chemistry and math content to real-world applications by using my knowledge
from a Chemical Engineering background combined with 15 years of pharmaceutical industry
experience. I will strive to inspire my students using memorable experiments and
demonstrations. I am looking forward to exposing high school students to the joys of chemistry
and math.
As for the classroom learning structure, I will use flexible teaching techniques following the
Universal Design for Learning Principles and Guidelines. The students in my classroom will
benefit from the use of formative assessments, which can provide relatively immediate
feedback to both my students and to me. I will use this information to determine the level of
understanding and engagement to make any necessary adjustments to methods of delivering
content. By making real-time adjustments to instructional processes, I hope to achieve a more
effective student-centered learning environment. I will continue to treat each student as an
individual and learn the best teaching techniques to help motivate that student to make the
most effective learning environment possible.
The classroom learning environment will be one of inclusion. I will continue to teach and
practice inclusion within my classroom and outside of my classroom. I will not use or allow
discriminating behavior within my classroom. It will be my responsibility to address
discriminating acts promptly to prevent the spread of these actions. I also promise to be aware
of my own actions and how they may impact the students. As just one example, I will want to
avoid gender stereotyping and support the interests of all students and create a gender-neutral
learning environment.
For my parents and caretakers, I will commit to listening to the families as they know their child
the best. I will strive to find effective two-way communication with the parents or caretakers to
have open and honest conversations about their child’s progress, accomplishments, and
behavior. I will be an advocate for students and work collaboratively with the team members
including family, other teachers, school counselors, and administrators to help students
maximize their potential.
For my own personal growth, I will continue to be a lifelong learner and work towards closing
the gap between scientific based research and the teaching practices that I will apply in my
classroom. By continuing to improve on my own knowledge with respect to research-based
instructional strategies, I will become more effective at interacting with and educating children.
My most important goal will be to treat each student with compassion and patience. If I can
come close to accomplishing this goal, I believe I will have had a positive influence on several
children’s lives.