I want my students to know that they engage in scientific inquiry all the time, but that it may look different from Western science. Every culture and community has their own wisdom, knowledge, and teachings that may look and sound different from what is being taught in the classroom, but is equally important to explaining the world around us.
Brendan’s Story
Teaching Discipline
Biology and Chemistry
Why Biology and Chemistry
I chose these disciplines because they are interdisciplinary so students can integrate their experiences and knowledge to construct new understandings. While science does require students to digest lots of information, it is also a place for students to form an innately personal consciousness of their world by creating meaningful connections in their learning.
Science is critical for coming up with solutions for climate change, the biggest issue facing society today. Science is where students can be creative, take risks, create the unknown, and imagine a future that is fundamentally different, transformative, and just. Science is the breeding ground for students to do work that is restorative, revolutionary, and radical.
Professional Experience
Brendan started teaching while still in high school, as a mathematics instructor at the Kumon Learning Center. While in his undergraduate program, Brendan worked both as a General Chemistry Supplemental Instructor and as an Undergraduate Student Researcher at CSU Long Beach.
During his Master’s program at CSU Los Angeles, Brendan worked as a Graduate Student Researcher in two different labs. Afterwards, he attended the Ph.D. program in Chemistry at UC Santa Barbara (UCSB) for 1 year, where he worked as a General Chemistry Laboratory teaching assistant and that’s when he decided to switch into the Teacher Education Program (TEP) at UCSB. While in TEP, Brendan student taught Chemistry in the Earth System at Santa Barbara Senior High School and Integrated Science 8 Student Teacher at La Colina Junior High School.
Brendan will start his first year of teaching Biology and Chemistry at Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Eastvale, California in the 2024-2025 school year.
Hobbies
Outside of school, Brendan loves activities that help him slow down and be mindful. Right now his favorites are hammocking by the beach and coloring. He also loves learning new languages.
Academic Background
- California State University, Long Beach (Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry)
- University of California, Santa Barbara (M.Ed. Secondary Science Education)
Resources
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Blog Problematizing Frameworks for Emerging MultilingualsTeaching immigrant students involves adapting to unpredictable arrivals and varied backgrounds. Frameworks help, but personal insights from students often guide the best support.
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Blog Where are Teachers in the Conversation About Education?Teachers’ voices are crucial but often overlooked in education policy discussions. By sharing their experiences and insights, teachers can influence and improve educational practices.
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Blog The Counter-Intuitive Benefits of Teacher Leadership: Staying Sane and SustainedBeginning teachers may resist leadership roles, but engaging in them boosts their confidence, job satisfaction, and reduces stress, benefiting both them and their students.
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Blog Bringing Teacher Voice to the TableTeachers are struggling with a rigid, mandated math curriculum that limits their autonomy and contributes to high teacher turnover. They need more say in decisions affecting their classrooms.
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Blog Enriching Student Learning Through Cross-Disciplinary CollaborationA teacher reflects on a successful Socratic seminar, highlighting how cross-disciplinary collaboration and shared literacy strategies enhance student learning and engagement.
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Blog Use Your Story: Teacher Learning Through StorytellingThe blog highlights how storytelling, as showcased in KSTF’s *Kaleidoscope*, helps teachers reflect on and improve their practices, fostering growth and understanding in education.
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Blog What Does it Mean for Teachers to be the Primary Agents of Educational Improvement?Since 2002, KSTF has focused on developing teacher leadership, showing that teachers are key to driving educational improvement through collaboration and self-initiative.
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Blog Assessing Individual Roles in Collaborative RelationshipsKSTF emphasizes that teacher leadership isn’t just for experienced educators; early-career teachers can lead by improving collaboration and student learning.
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Blog What is the Most Important Thing We Can Teach Out Students? Ask How We Know What We KnowA science teacher aims to inspire curiosity and self-awareness in students, emphasizing the importance of understanding how we know what we know beyond memorizing facts.
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Blog Leadership Without Followership: Teachers as Leaders in Educational ImprovementTeacher leadership is evolving from traditional top-down models to a distributed approach where teachers lead by first changing themselves to inspire broader change.
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Blog What is the Most Important Thing We Can Teach Our Students? A Plea For CompassionBeing “college and career ready” goes beyond skills; it’s about fostering compassion. Teachers should prioritize understanding and empathy to truly prepare students for life.
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Blog What is the Most Important Thing We Can Teach Our Students? No One ThingDetermining the “most important” thing to teach is challenging. Ultimately, valuing students and making them feel valued is crucial for effective learning.
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Blog What is the Most Important Thing We Can Teach Our Students? The Language of PowerA high school science teacher reflects on teaching beyond content, emphasizing that the true goal is equipping students with the “language of power” to engage critically with the world.
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Blog More than a Case Study: Optimism in the Biology ClassroomAfter a student lost his battle with cancer, a teacher reflects on using biology lessons on cancer to offer hope and understanding, honoring the student’s memory.
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Blog Making the Best of Winter to Teach Engineering DesignTo combat senioritis and engage students, a teacher created a snowshoe-building project integrating physics, engineering, and math, leading to enthusiastic participation and deeper learning.
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Blog Three Ways to Squash Curiosity (And Three Ways to Foster it)To spark student curiosity, avoid answering every question immediately, teach thematically, and pose questions with no known answers.
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Blog Collective Teacher AgencyKSTF is exploring how collective agency—groups working towards shared goals—can drive educational improvement and impact through its networked community.
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Blog Backbone Teachers: The Importance of a Networked CommunityKSTF’s Backbone Teachers are early-career educators trained as leaders. The KSTF network enhances practice, advocacy, and problem-solving in education.
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Blog The Role of Evaluation in a Learning OrganizationKSTF’s evaluation focuses on continuous learning and improvement, prioritizing ongoing questions and transparency over fixed targets and accountability.
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Blog Optimizing Student Learning with Complex InstructionKSTF explores how Complex Instruction (CI) can enhance equity in groupwork, helping all students engage more equally and effectively in learning tasks.
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Blog Modeling at the Intersection of Learning and TeachingThe blog discusses how model-based teaching reflects our natural process of creating and using mental models to understand phenomena, enhancing STEM education through authentic, iterative practices.
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