Overview
Jason Prichard
7th/8th Grade Science Teacher Willis Junior High School Willis STEAM Academy Room H-4Phone: 480.883.5700 Email: [email protected] |
- Educational Background/Experience
I student taught at Willis and loved the staff and students so much that I decided to stay. I began my teaching career here at Willis in the fall of 2000. Since then, I have taught both 7th and 8th grade Science, engineering, ELL, special education, gifted, and coached the school robotics team.
- Why I teach?/Philosophy
We owe much or our way of life and economic prosperity to scientific research - our cars and airplanes, smart phones, food, clothes, and energy have been developed and improved through scientific research. Without an understanding of Einstein's theory of relativity and how spacetime works measurements from orbiting GPS satellites would be much less accurate. Geocaching and Pokemon GO would be a lot less fun with inaccurate GPS.
Science has always been a subject that excites and intrigues me. From the outer reaches of the cosmos, to the microcosm of the cell or the atom, the grace with which a bird can propel itself through air, the apparent balance found within and among living things, the miracles of modern technology and medicine - The natural world is full of beauty, patterns, and mystery waiting to be discovered. It is only natural to be curious and ask the questions why and how and to want to understand the universe in which we live. I challenge my students to come to appreciate and understand things which sometimes we take for granted. I hope to pass on my excitement and incite the natural curiosity in my students.
I hope that throughout the course of this year you will experience how amazing science can be. My main goal is to get you to think critically, scientifically, and creatively in order to solve problems and answer questions about the world around you. This means you have to think! There is only one wrong answer you can give on homework or during class discussion, that is I DON”T KNOW! I promise that if you try and do your best you will always succeed.
- A little about me
Soon after moving to Arizona, I met my beautiful wife Lisa. We have one child, a son named Leonides. We also have a dog named Iris. Iris is a staffordshire terrier/pitbull mix.
When I am not teaching, I enjoy playing music (drums, guitar, singing), riding my bike, reading, hiking, traveling, and hanging out with Lisa and friends.