Bioinformatics

When I started college the first time in 1980, I had a dual major in computer science and biology. Nearly everyone I met, including my advisor, asked me how I could study two such unrelated fields!

Your Favorite Math and Science Teachers

I want to be an excellent science and math teacher. The best way I can learn to do that is to follow in the footsteps of those who have and are teaching math and science ways that connect with their students and inspire them to push through the tough parts and learn to revel in the beauty of a graph, judge the quality of a scientific argument and ask at least one more question to “unlock the secrets of the universe.”

My request for you, dear readers, is to describe your favorite math science teachers, and provide an example of something they did that really helped you believe in your ability to learn math and science and use them for your benefit.

Thanks!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Michael

Earn extra money!

I’m looking for people to help me earn scholarships for my teaching certificate program at Seattle Pacific University.

My target is $25,000.

I will give 10% of earnings to those who help me earn scholarships to pay for school and living during the program.

>>$5,000 bonus if we meet the target<< The bonus is to be divided among all those who help me.

Contact me so we can get started right away.

Thanks,

ME

She blinded me with Science!

Why do I want to be a science teacher?

The easy answer is because I love science and I want to pass along my enjoyment of all things science to others. That answer, however, reads as if it was written by a PR hack or someone writing a corporate vision statement.

There are lots of wonderful things in the world that need teaching, and that I would be happy to teach , why have I chosen science from all the others?

Because it’s not about doing things right, it’s about doing things.

Science is one of the human endeavors that does not require that people do it “right.” Everything of value that has come from science has developed from people asking questions that no one is sure there are answers for, and certainly that no one knows what the “right” answer is (At least that is what we pro-science folks like to tell ourselves about it). I like science because it opens up the parts of the world where we are free to explore, wonder and play. For some of us, it helps answer the questions about our “place” in the universe and what we are here for. And, while some scientists may become totalitarian, science itself is a pure expression of philosophical libertarianism.

When you find something good, you want to share it.

Science makes me feel good. When we were kids, our mom would get us up early in the morning to watch the Apollo missions on our little black-and-white TV. We were so happy to see it and we were young enough that our image of humans still had room for believing we could expand across the solar system and beyond. I still believe it, though my time horizon has stretched. We loved watching it. I wrote to one of the astronauts and received a hand-signed letter and photo in reply. As far as I was concerned, this is what we humans were meant to do. I still believe it.

Therefore, to create the world where more people believe that we are meant to travel to the farthest reaches of space and into the inner reaches of the cell and the atom, I want to pass along my love of science.

Is that enough?

Thanks for reading,

Michael D. Enquist

Teaching is a Job

Teaching is … all kinds of things. One of those is a job, a career, a way to exchange service for money.

People who want to be teachers – I am one of those people – need to develop “marketable skills” (which is why there were over 850 people taking WEST tests at Hazen HS last Saturday, June 5th), and learn about the business of teaching.

When I write, “the business of teaching” I mean that we teachers are getting paid, either through the citizen’s tax money directed our way, or through free market exchanges, or a combination of both. One of our ethical obligations is to provide value in exchange for the money we are getting. Meeting the Standards(1) helps us develop a solid foundation from which to provide value. On top of that, we need to be effective employees and business people.

I have found two wonderful blogs that have helped me hone my understanding of how to be more effective as an employee and a business person:

One is called “No Shortage of Work”, by Brooke Allen http://www.noshortageofwork.com/160 . His point of view is that there is plenty of work that needs doing in any economy. Not only that, but there is plenty of work that needs YOU to do it. The work needs your unique talents, your special flair, your devotion and your passion and the current state of the economy is irrelevant. It is a fact that you will not always get paid what you think you “should” to do that work, but Allen reminds us that there is value to be gained from work above and beyond the greenbacks we earn. He also helps people understand the meaning of “opportunity costs” and why our former pay or titles are pretty much irrelevant from this point forward. The experience, skills and knowledge we’ve gained up to now and how we are going to apply it to the work at hand, that, to Allen (and to me) is the thing that matters.

To help us show prospective employers and clients how we will apply our experience, skills and knowledge, Nick Corcodilos urges us to “Ask the Headhunter” http://corcodilos.com/blog/ . He explains why sending a resume to a job ad is a waste of time and perpetrates an endless cycle of misery. Yes. He’s that adamant about it. Instead, he explains very thoroughly how to seek the careers and companies where we can do our best work, earn the best compensation and how to show the hiring managers how we will solve their problem and why their best move is to let us get started right away.

What does all this mean to me as a teacher? It means that I will have to clearly define my value as a teacher of biology and math so that I can readily answer the most important question any interviewer will ask, “What can you do for me?” That is one of the purposes of this blog. Through it I am investigating what are the real needs of students of biology and math (not just what I think they need), how I want to interact with students and facilitate their connection to the world through the tools of biology and math, and how to be fully compensated for doing so.

Ensuring that I am fully compensated for the time and effort I spend teaching is my obligation to my family. In terms of opportunity costs, my family loses having me around while I am in the classroom. Instead of teaching other people’s kids, I could be with my own all day, helping them become wise, knowledgable, compassionate, moral citizens. Since my own family has to give me up while I am gone to my workplace, I owe them the most material compensation for which I can negotiate, as well as a passion for my work that enlivens me, rather than becoming a burnout.

Let’s get to it.

Thanks for reading,

Michael D. Enquist

Note 1:

• Standard S: Knowledge of subject matter and curriculum goals.
• Standard T: Knowledge of teaching.
• Standard L: Knowledge of learners and their development in social contexts.
• Standard P: Understanding teaching as a profession.

Opening Salvo

This is my first post in my teaching blog. This blog will contain my impressions about becoming a teacher, as well as my specific responses and reflections with respect to the coursework and internship I will be doing through the Seattle Pacific University Alternative Routes to Certification program (henceforth referred to simply as ARC).

On Saturday, June 5th, 2010, I took the WEST-B. It was easy as I have been studying various Praxis test prep books and SAT test prep for my freelance work as a private tutor. If you, dear reader, are prepping for the WEST-B, I can tell you that the three parts are more difficult than the practice tests in the various Praxis I prep books, but less difficult than the SAT. I would suggest doing a little of both.

Next up for me are two endorsement tests: HS science and math. Those tests are in July.

Something that was surprising for me was that there were about 850 current and prospective teachers taking tests. This is just for the test center that serves Snohomish and King counties. Adding other centers across the state that were hosting tests that day, there were a couple of thousand folks taking some version of the WEST. That helps me understand the market for teachers.