- Student Blog
Last spring I sat down with Mrs. Dunn, our much-loved Upper School biology teacher. We discussed her passions, inside and outside the classroom, including her favorite movies, college degrees, traveling, and of course, teaching. I got to know her better and hope to share a glimpse of what an amazing teacher she is. Mrs. Dunn’s smile reflects not only the joy she has for her students but for biology, God, and learning.
I first asked her what she studied in college, she said, “I have a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and went on to get a Master of Science in Molecular Biology and Immunology.” Microbiology (the study of microscopic organisms), Molecular Biology (the study of macromolecules), and Immunology (the study of immune systems) are all topics covered in Mrs. Dunn’s biology classes. This allows her to share with her students her interests and specialties within biology. Mrs. Dunn also has many passions outside of school including being a grandma to three grandkids, the outdoors, reading science journals (of course), and her church community. Mrs. Dunn has always had an interest in science but her interest in teaching came later.
Mrs. Dunn did not originally think teaching would be her career path. But Mrs. Dunn explained that it was when, “I was doing Outdoor Ed for my kid’s school and was teaching the carbon cycle under a tree, and I fell in love with it.” She knew she wanted to continue science, but she also discovered a new-found love for teaching. Soon after her experience at Outdoor Ed, there was an opening at The Bear Creek School. The job available was for teaching all the eighth and ninth grade science classes. Mrs. Dunn fell in love with it and the ability to pursue her passion for science and add in her new love for teaching. Now she teaches eleventh and twelfth grade biology classes and she said, “I love where I have landed.”
However, teaching is not always easy. The most difficult aspect of teaching for Mrs. Dunn is also her favorite part of teaching, “Being able to successfully communicate knowledge to students requires a lot of planning.” Her favorite lesson she has taught this year to her students was on homeostasis (the maintaining of a stable internal environment) because, “the class picked it up so quickly and now they have a college level vocabulary.” She taught homeostasis at an advanced level and was thrilled with the student’s ability to comprehend the topic.
The most difficult question I had for Mrs. Dunn to answer was this: what biology question you would have answered if you could know anything. It took a moment for her to decide between a couple, but she came to a final decision when she said, “Evolution, because I believe God created and sustains life, but there are some things about natural selection that are true and there is undeniable intersect, but I’m not sure where that line is drawn.” One of the great things about taking biology at Bear Creek is as a class, we can discuss God and his role in the development of the world. The questions got a little less serious as I asked her about her favorite memories.
She laughed when I asked her what movie she would make into a musical and decided on Free Willy (a movie about a young orca whale who gets separated from his parents and trapped in an enclosed marina). Since she is teaching high school students, I was interested to hear about Mrs. Dunn’s high school experience. Mrs. Dunn said her high school, “was giant and she was a very scholastic student with good friends and some interesting teachers.” Surprisingly her favorite teachers were not her science teachers, but they were her English teachers. Other than her love for school she loves to travel.
Mrs. Dunn favorite place she has travelled is India. A small town in India called Raxaul where, “the travel guides say not to go, but there are beautiful trees, colorful spice markets, and a leprosy clinic where the families with leprosy live and weave beautiful cloths.” She has been to India three times, and loves it, although she would love to go back again because she has not seen the Taj Mahal. Along with her love for India, Mrs. Dunn loves animals, especially penguins.
A penguin is not only the classroom mascot but also makes many appearances on the PowerPoints students see in class. When I mentioned the classroom mascot she said, “Percival was adopted during Penguin Awareness Month when I came across a giant albino penguin that is not very biologically correct but makes a fun class mascot.” This albino penguin is a very fun addition to the classroom. The little things that make Mrs. Dunn’s day better (other than Percival) consist of meeting with students about, “things that aren’t necessarily my job, but allow me to be able to be a resource and help students.” She is loves the opportunity being a teacher gives her to reach out and be a mentor to her students.
As you have gotten to know Mrs. Dunn better, like I have, it is evident what a powerful impact she has on her student’s lives and her radiating passion for biology. Her love for Bear Creek, her students, biology, and Christ’s resurrection are evident inside and outside of her classroom. She is an amazing teacher and a wonderful part of what makes Bear Creek teachers so incredible.