Binh, Live Oak School’s 7th and 8th grade science teacher last year, opened my eyes to science. He always encouraged me, but he was also a huge inspiration to me. The first day I met Binh I didn’t know what our classes were going to be like because it was the first time I was going to have science as its own subject.
Binh was a wonderful teacher; he was very open. He learned everyone’s strengths and weaknesses and always encouraged people, “You can always do better and you are good at science.” Binh set a high standard. He is a serious scientist although he did make jokes and we always enjoyed our classes. He helped us to think like scientists. If I had anything that was science related, he would suggest, “Let’s do an experiment on it or let’s bring it up in class.” We would dive into different topics. It was so exciting. My most memorable day from his class was the squid dissection. I didn’t want to touch the smelly squid at first, but then, as I thought more about it, it seemed really cool. We cut the squid apart and wrote with its ink, using the beak as a pen. I realized how important lab work and experiments are in learning how things work.
Binh influenced me to become the hard working student I am today. He taught me how to take thorough but quick, readable notes, how to be organized and how important it is, and how to study for the high school level tests he gave us. Binh also showed me that science can be fun and exciting. There is always something to learn about in science; I want to know why things happen the way they do. He encouraged me to think outside the box. He emboldened me to do my best to keep going on a track of science. He taught us all sorts of intriguing things about the ocean and its ecosystem as well. He also taught a class on how to tie various knots, like the ones he tied while he was out at sea when he was a marine biologist. I took the class and liked it a lot.
Binh, my mentor, is no longer at Live Oak and I miss him. Having him as a teacher influenced me as a student, scientist, and person. Binh has sparked my interest in marine biology and encouraged me to explore various science electives in high school. I’m really interested in taking classes on a ship, similar to the courses Binh has taught. Being able to combine travel and science is exciting. Binh is one of the greater influences in my life; he certainly shaped my love of science and how I approach learning something new. I am so glad that I had the chance to work under his supervision.