As students make their way through the first marking period of the school year, a new face has been seen around. Mrs. Smith joined our high school midway through the year in the science hall as a Biology teacher.

Before Upper Perk, Mrs. Smith taught for 15 years at William Allen High School in Allentown, PA.  Now, she will teach Biology in Room 204, replacing the previous teacher, Mrs. Paul.

However, teaching was not her first option. After attending Kutztown University to study veterinary medicine, she realized that it wasn’t the lifestyle for her, and a great experience with her biology teacher influenced her decision to pursue a career in this subject instead.

Many students are nervous when they have a new teacher they don’t know much about. When discussing her own teaching style, Mrs. Smith explained, “I understand that students have a lot going on in their lives beyond academics, that they are a whole person outside of the classroom… so I’m very understanding of the needs and challenges of being a high school student in this day and age.”

Despite having empathy for her students, Mrs. Smith still has expectations for her classes, saying, “They can expect me to be here physically and mentally… lessons to be well planned out… I like to make everything as exciting as possible because if I myself am not excited about it, how in the world am I going to get teenagers to be excited about biology?”

Mrs. Smith looks forward to learning and growing with Upper Perk and her students in the coming years.