Class Acts: Meet the new teachers

Scott Johnson teaches photography and visual arts. What are some photo effects you enjoy working with? With photography, I definitely lean more towards the design and the composition, which is editing photos, taking a shot and manipulating it to create a more interesting composition. That's where my interests lie, especially since I've done a lot more work outside of teaching in the realm of des...

Tendai Mufuka teaches history and photography. What informed your decision to become a history teacher? I lived in Zimbabwe for a few years where my dad was the director of the National Museum and Monuments. Our house was connected to the museum, so when I was in elementary school, I would follow my dad and do all the tours with him. I grew up surrounded by history. Where have you vacationed, and...

Alex Moya teaches history. Where did you teach before coming to St. John’s? I taught in Micronesia for a year and then in Mexico for the last five years. I also taught online students in China. Every country has its own challenges and rewards. I was in Mexico for the longest time, and I really liked seeing ancient cathedrals and hidden sites that most tourists don't know about. Micronesia ...

Tanya Cummings is a college counselor. As a college counselor, what is the most valuable piece of advice you can give to students? You’re the one going to college, not us. You need to be happy about this college. You need to make sure it’s a good fit for you academically, socially, emotionally, financially, religiously—whatever the parameters are; it’s really important that you’re co...

Megan Wilson teaches history. At the beginning of each class, you play a piece of music from the era that students are studying. What inspired you to do that? I try to get students to really envision what life was like for the people that we talk about. It’s easy to just think it's a whole bunch of kings or presidents, but I want you to see that they are real people who made tough choices. I...

Joe Zoller teaches physics. What are your favorite aspects of astronomy? I love the concept of the nature of the universe. How did it all come together? What’s out there? It’s so interesting when you get into massive stars and black holes, where all laws of physics completely change. What are your thoughts on space exploration? I’ve always wondered how technology and science will devel...

Joe Wallace teaches history. How did you decide to become a history teacher? I had a series of really great history teachers, but I had an unorthodox track to teaching. I practiced law for a couple years, and I really like the research part of that. I wanted to put together the research, the brainy part, with the teaching part. As a teacher at St. John’s, what do you want to accomplish? ...

Cameron Williams teaches English. You went to Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts for high school; how has attending a boarding school influenced your teaching philosophy? I see so many similarities between my experience at Deerfield and St. John's, especially in terms of the culture around academics. I think a lot of this stems from the small, discussion-based classes and investment from both teach...

Gaby Del Bosque-Hernandez teaches biology. How did you become interested in biology and environmental science?  I was born and raised in Monterrey, Mexico, and my family and I moved to the United States as I was just about to enter 9th grade. When I lived there, my middle school's science lessons consisted mostly of teacher's lectures, student presentations, and information from textbooks. I...

Sergios Paschalis teaches Latin. How do you like teaching at the high school level versus the college level? I find teaching high school students more challenging and more rewarding than college students because it's harder to get their attention and keep it. I found that the high school students are the most excited about the material, and I really love their energy, and how passionate they a...