Ross Hill

Tell us why you became a teacher

After traveling by myself for a year, exploring careers, trying to start a citizen science based business, and being a little lost in my search for pairing adventure with stability, my now wife was a teacher through it all as I searched. I realized that as a teacher I could share my love for science, work in a diverse community and provide my family stability. I now enjoy providing a space in the day for every student to feel comfortable being themselves and to get things wrong.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

My most memorable teaching experiences are almost always social emotional breakthroughs. Watching unlikely students become friends as they realize they both love flipping rocks to see what’s underneath or learning more about a student who is struggling to unearth the person that truly wants to succeed inside. These are the memorable moments that stand out to me as I continue my journey as a teacher.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would bring my family to SCUBA dive the Galápagos Islands and then use most of the rest to continue developing a life science curriculum all through the lens of SCUBA diving inspired by a course I completed at Boston University that I will remember for the rest of my life. If I could provide my students the real world field experience I had, we would see more passionate scientists at a younger age. Lastly, I would set up an awesome class pet and habitat to share with the students!