Once a year, dozens of freshmen and sophomores walk the halls of White Station High School (WSHS) carrying cakes decorated like cells, ready to share them with their biology class. The “edible cell” lab is just one of the ways in which Joseph Harris, a traditional and Honors Biology teacher, hopes to give his students a strong foundation in biology and in life.
Always engaged in what he was learning as a kid, Harris’s interest in science began in middle and high school. His own teachers were particularly encouraging and sparked a passion for the material he now shares with his own students.
“[When I] took high school biology, I was blown away,” Harris said. “I had the best teacher ever … Everything really just came alive for me with biology. And then after her class, I did chemistry, and that’s how I knew that science was really what I wanted to pursue. I had an amazing chemistry … teacher — he [had] worked for NASA … Those little small pats on the back, those good jobs … they still stick with me to this very day … I definitely hope to bring that to my own students — the positive affirmations.”
Harris attended five different universities, accumulating multiple degrees in science, Spanish and education, before becoming a teacher. Harris has been teaching for twelve years and spent the most recent 5 at WSHS, teaching Honors and traditional biology.
“[WSHS is] extremely diverse,” Harris said. “I’ve learned so much in these five years, possibly, as far as teaching, [more] than in [all] my prior years, just due to students taking interest in learning … I’ve learned about students’ families and cultures … so it’s way more than academics, it’s a blend of academics, culture, social [and] emotional [learning] … It’s such a positive environment at [this] school.”
Teaching biology isn’t without its challenges. Every year, Harris has his class debate topics in bioethics that must be approached with tolerance and understanding. These include controversial issues such as whether patients have a right to a medically assisted death.
“Ensuring that all students have an open mind pertaining to topics such as evolution and certain aspects of bioethics [is difficult],” Harris said. “In my classes, we often have a debate on bioethics … Of course, there are conflicts … However, there have never been any major outbursts. At the end of the day, the students respect each other’s opinions.”
Although his class is an introductory-level course, Harris hopes that his students will have a deep understanding of biology as a base in more challenging science classes. He also wants them to learn lifelong skills that go beyond schoolwork.
“[I want students to learn that] education will open many doors for you,” Harris said. “I hope that students will, of course, learn integrity, and learn to be kind to others … I want them to know that I really do care for each student … I value each student … I [also] want them to have a solid, strong foundation of biology, so when they get to their upper [level] classes, such as chemistry, physics and even Advanced Placement Biology or classes in college … they can take away the basics.”
Later in life, Harris’s teaching stays with students, just as his own teachers continue to motivate him. Former students often come back to his classroom to ask for recommendation letters, invite him to events and update him on their lives.
“One of my favorite things is when my former students come to visit me,” Harris said. “They’ll tell me how much I’ve impacted them … I’ve attended some of their events after they graduate … I’m always happy to attend because it’s definitely a blessing seeing my freshmen and sophomores, [after] they graduate … in their element. It definitely blessed me just to know that the students thought of me enough to even ask me for a recommendation letter, to ask me to attend this event.”
Although Harris seeks to inspire his students, even after graduation, they also continue to inspire him. He appreciates the positivity and willingness to learn of the students he teaches at WSHS.
“Every student I’ve had in the past, every student I have currently, [has] definitely impacted me in a positive way,” Harris said. “They say the teachers impact students, but with me, my students impact me in such a positive way … Every day I’m surrounded by smiling faces, students that want to learn.”