This year, BSM welcomes a new senior high science teacher, Jack Entzion. Entzion grew up in Moorhead, Minnesota, attending college at the University of Minnesota and gaining his teaching license there. He enjoys bird-watching, watching movies, and playing video games with his friends.
Entzion has always had a passion for biology and ecology. “I lived next to a river growing up, getting frogs and fish and all that stuff, and gathering kind of impromptu data on my surroundings there. And then, once I started learning biology in school, when I was in seventh grade, I’m like, oh yeah, this is definitely something I want to do,” Entzion said.
His passion for biology was the main reason he wanted to become a teacher. “When I thought about what I wanted to do after learning biology, the only thing I could think of was talking to other people about it. So teaching kind of drew my attention because of that, being able to find students who were curious about it like I was, and being able to support them in their quest towards biology,” Entzion said.
Entzion will be teaching 9th-grade Biology, as well as AP Environmental Science, which is a new class at BSM. One of his main goals in AP Environmental Science is to help students access all their knowledge and connect concepts. He does this through helping students find their own ways of approaching content. He takes the students’ feedback on which methods, such as quizzes, projects, or labs, are the most effective in helping them learn, and plans the class accordingly. “The curriculum is standardized, just like every AP class, but it’s been interesting, kind of putting it all together for the first time,” Entzion said.
BSM is the first school Entzion has ever taught at. He was drawn to BSM because of the heavy incorporation of faith, which he believes helps create a strong sense of community. He regards this as the most important aspect of helping his students learn. “So knowing that I’m halfway there, just by being at a school that puts faith in such high regard that like, it would be kind of a no brainer. It would make my time as a first year teacher a lot easier on me, not having to try and fail to create that community because it’s already there,” Entzion said.
So far, he has felt very welcomed at BSM, especially by the science department. He plans to get involved at BSM by helping coach extracurricular activities, such as speech, debate, and knowledge bowl.