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Redman ramps up Rose's Earth Science course
FRI. |2-3-23| FEATURES
Some students may have noticed a new face in room 109 while passing through the 100 hall. This unfamiliar face is science teacher Jonathan Redman, who is a new teacher at Rose this year.
Redman has been teaching for five years since graduating from East Carolina University (ECU).
“I graduated from ECU in 2017 with my second degree and I decided that I needed a career change,” Redman said. “Graduate school for geology was not in the cards, so I thought I would try teaching.”
Photo by Averi Simpson
This passion for science isn’t new for Redman, as he has always had a fondness for the subject.
“In high school I took AP biology, AP physics, and my minor the first time around at ECU was biology.” Redman said. “My favorite thing about teaching is honestly talking about science all day.”
Redman previously spent a couple years teaching at E.B. Aycock middle school before finding himself at Rose.
“The opportunity to teach earth science, which is what I really studied in college, and the opportunity to work with Dr. Thomas again, brought me to Rose,” Redman said. “I teach environmental science currently, but I will be teaching AP environmental science next semester.”
So far, Redman has felt accepted at Rose by his new team of teachers and staff.
“The entire science department has been really welcoming,” Redman said. “I already knew a couple teachers here, so it's not like it was unfamiliar, because I already knew people in the building.”
Even though Redman already felt comfortable around the staff, moving to Rose was still an adjustment for him due to the differing behavior of high school students to those in middle school.
“[High school] students have a lot more freedom, so I don’t necessarily have to keep as close of an eye over students here as I would in middle school,” Redman said. “I also only teach one subject here, which is nice because at Aycock I was teaching science and social studies.”
While he has had to adjust to a new working environment, Redman’s hobbies remain the same at home.
“Outside of school I cook, bake, watch movies, read books, stuff like that,” Redman said.
Although he hasn’t been at Rose long, Redman is already starting to make a positive impact through being the faculty advisor for Earth club.
“JHR 4 Earth meets every Monday in refresh and every first and third Monday we go to pick up trash in the PAC parking lot,” Redman said. “We are going to be doing something coming up called ‘plant the moon challenge’, which involves getting a soil stimulate that is supposed to stimulate lunar soil; we are going to try to grow plants in that.”
Because interacting with people is part of his everyday job, Redman has learned that communication is the most important thing to ensure relationships run smoothly.
“Talk to your teachers, talk to your classmates because communication can keep misunderstandings from happening and can keep your teachers informed if stuff happens,” Redman said. “Communication is absolutely key and is going to get even more important when you get to college.”
He displays this in the classroom by letting his students know that they can always contact him.
“I tell them to email me if they have anything personal going on or if they miss class,” Redman said. “[Then], I can extend assignments or do whatever they need so that they can be successful in the class.”
Overall, Redman has found his place at Rose and finds excitement through teaching.
“We get all new classes [soon], so I am looking forward to getting to teach different classes and I get to see a lot of my old students again,” Redman said.