First: I’m definitely a nerd, and it’s something I’m pretty happy to be.

Second: I really think our ideas of learning should be radically different than they currently are.

I have a huge range of interests, and I love being able to make connections between the different topics and events; this is something that we really need to be doing a lot more frequently, especially in the context of schools. Far too often we have some sort of ‘crowbar separation’ between our subjects, even though they’re all interconnected.

For example, we shouldn’t be looking just at ‘science’, but we should be looking at its history, the social context in which it was discovered and used, and starting to see its influences in other areas like literature and art. How do we talk about it? How do we think about it? If we don’t make those connections, we risk not understanding the world around us.

I say this because I’ve taught across multiple subjects, often all at the same time. I’ve taught English language and literature and social sciences. I’ve been tossed into a range of science classes all because schools generally see my background when they need to cut some corners and avoid hiring a science teacher, making me triple up on subjects. Most of those experiences have been across public and private schools, both of which are just two parts of the exact same system.

All of the thoughts I have here bleed into how I teach and encourage students to engage with learning. It’s also how I try to live my own life.

PRONOUNS: they/them – I don’t have a preferred title, as I find them unnecessary. I’m an anarchist. What’s the point of a title other than to elevate me above another?