Math and Science Departments Welcome New Teachers to the Hive

Ms. Johnson teaches about face transplants with her Anatomy and Physiology Class. Photo: Daniel Huang

By DANIEL HUANG 

This fall, Midwood welcomed Ms. Lauren McEvoy, Mr. Jasper DeAntonio, Mr. Vincent Dixon, Ms. Megan Deslouches, and Ms. Allison Anderson to the Math Department, and Ms. Irina Johnson to the Life Science Department. I sat down with Ms. Anderson and Ms. Johnson to learn a little more about these two new Hornets.

Ms. Anderson, who teaches Algebra II as well as AP Statistics, is from Long Island and has had a passion for teaching since she was a kid. She said, “I had a chalkboard and my Barbies and I would teach them. I just like being in school, learning, teaching others, helping others.”

Before coming to Midwood, Ms. Anderson taught math at Bethesda Chevy Chase High School in Maryland for four years and MS 936 for a year.

Ms. Anderson relaxes in her free time with her dogs. Photo: Ms. Allison Anderson

Ms. Anderson’s motto for teaching is “experience first, formalize later.” The students are given an opportunity to explore math, thinking critically about the concepts before they bring them back to the class to “formalize” things.

Outside of school, Ms. Anderson enjoys reading, going on walks and hikes with her dogs, working out, running, shopping, and playing volleyball. She was a coach for boys and girls varsity volleyball back at Bethesda Chevy Chase. 

So far, she’s enjoying her experience as a Hornet.

“Everyone is collaborative, willing to help each other,” she said. “The students are great. Every student that I meet in Midwood is just overall a nice person. They're kind. They're hardworking. They're respectful to their teachers and their peers.” 

Turning to our new face in Life Science, Ms. Johnson has always had an interest in science, though she was “afraid of taking science courses because learning science is like learning a whole new language,” she said.

Before teaching, Ms. Johnson went to medical school where she learned that while she liked medicine, she preferred education. She gained a lot of experience teaching anatomy and physiology as well as microbiology in middle schools and college.

“I love when students ask me really interesting and complicated or complex questions,” Ms. Johnson said. “I love to see how curious they are about something new, especially body systems, when they could actually try to understand why things happen to them.”

In class, she prefers more group work and student-led classes where she just acts as a facilitator. She tries to be “very kind and empathetic to students' needs,” she said.

While teaching is a big part of Ms. Johnson’s life, she also enjoys photography (her minor in college) whenever she has the time. 

“I think it kind of locks you into that moment,” she said. “Generally, we're always rushing and not really noticing things around us. But when you snap that picture, you're literally in the moment.”

The one thing that Ms. Johnson learned throughout her years of being a teacher is that “it doesn't matter how old the student is. Everyone is capable of learning and loving science.”