Photo by Avery Lowther. Mrs. Brehm is all smiles while teaching Biology!
Abby Brehm is teaching Biology again after her year of teaching Chemistry and Physical Science.
Not only is science teacher Mrs. Brehm teaching, but she is also advancing her own education in the same subject. Mrs. Brehm has a goal in her higher education and that is to have deeper understanding.
“It’s fun for me to learn more about and the better I understand it the better I am at teaching it and explaining it to others,” Mrs. Brehm said.
Mrs. Brehm has only been at HHS for 3 years, yet she has taught most of the science classes available. She taught biology, then chemistry and physical science, and finally biology again. She explains misunderstandings people tend to have with science and switching branches.
“A lot of people don’t realize how different each type of science is. So going from Physical Science to Chemistry to Biology there is a lot of different jargon, there’s a lot of different terms, and there’s a lot of different concepts,” Mrs. Brehm said. “So a lot of people think science is just science so if you know one you know all of them, but that’s not true.”
Being acclimated to multiple types of sciences in her schedule, Mrs. Brehm looks back on her previous years of teaching with a new perspective.
“I teach all biology now, and only at different levels so support, general, and honors. I wish I had a little bit more variation. I really love teaching chemistry and there’s a lot of cool labs and activities that we do in physical science,” Mrs. Brehm said.“Then, you get to see student progress, like from one level to another: Physical science as a freshman, sophomore biology, and then junior/senior chemistry. So I liked the variation more than teaching one thing all the time.”
Mrs. Brehm’s past career allowed her to have some variation.
“I taught at a very small rural school and I was the science department. So I taught all science classes 7-12,” Brehm said.
One of her motivations in teaching is to be able to build connections with her students.
“When you make those relationships with students, see them grow, learn, and understand the world a little bit better, I think that it is very satisfying to know you were a part of that,” Mrs. Brehm said.
Biology Honors student Brianna Loya speaks on Mrs. Brehms uniqueness, in comparison to other teachers.
“She is more lenient for the most part. If you have questions she’s willing to help you on your own time,” Loya said.
Another Biology Honors student, Camden Mullen shares the best moments he has had in Biology so far.
“My favorite thing that we have done in biology is drawing. We drew different animals and plants,” Mullen said.
Mrs. Brehm has to juggle many tasks being a student, teacher, and a mom. She derives her motivation from a specific place.
“I have other people looking up to me and depending on me helps me stay motivated and know that what I’m doing if for something and has a good purpose,” Mrs. Brehm said.
