Bria Bird spends her days teaching not one, not two, but three different sciences. She teaches AP Physics, AP Biology and Pre-AP Chemistry. She obviously went through a lot of schooling, but she didn’t originally dream of being a science teacher. 

Bird started her college journey with the hopes of becoming a veterinarian, but while she was a teacher’s assistant for some microbiology classes, she fell in love with seeing the students’ interactions and when they had a “lightbulb moment.” While the AP titles she has unexpectedly collected along the way might seem scary to some students who have not yet taken an AP level class, she focuses on making her students feel safe in her classroom. AP classes of any kind are challenging, especially science, and she understands this.

“It is very important to me that my students feel safe making mistakes, because that means that my students are ready and willing to learn,” Bird said.

Bird comes from a big family full of exceptionally smart members, so it is no surprise she finds comfort and influence in her older sister, Dr. Crucy, who excelled at math and physics, giving Bird the final push she needed when switching from a veterinary major to a science major.

“Seeing her do math and physics exceptionally well showed me that I can pursue science,” Bird said. 

Obviously, Bird is constantly challenged with all three subjects and dealing with three different grade levels, mixed together. Most would hate to have those challenges, but Bird actually finds them appealing in that they “keep life interesting.” Her love for challenges stems from her ballroom dancing competitions, and owning her own studio. She could have also come to love competing through many years with many siblings; everything is a war. 

Bird’s classroom setting is filled with creative solutions to learning. For example, instead of filling everyday with paper after paper, her students partake in “vertical whiteboard activities,” or gathering with anywhere from two to three additional students and doing practice problems or fun review games. She also gifts her students with the occasional lab, which are both exciting and extremely interactive and engaging. 

Another amazing fact about Bird’s classroom is that assigned days and due days are usually about a week apart, giving students the perfect amount of time to complete their assignments and earn easy A’s on daily work. Bird gives her students plenty of time to prepare for tests by not only informing them of the test a few days in advance, but by also filling out her lesson plans for the year and posting them along with her syllabus for the class. Students are given multiple opportunities to turn in assignments, even being able to turn them in weeks after the due date as long as it is within the six weeks that it is assigned. 

Being a science teacher, Bird is attentive to all of the greatest contributions to the broad subject of science.

“One of the most important contributions to science is Louis Pasteur’s work with the swan-necked flask,” Bird said.

Louis Pasteur, a French chemist, conducted an experiment to disprove the theory of spontaneous generation. His experiment forever changed the face of science. 

Bird’s care for her students will no doubt radiate on them long after their time in her classroom. The deep connection she builds with them will hopefully inspire them to further their education, and her love for science will no doubt inspire some to pursue a career in science. 

“There have been moments when I talk about a scientist and what opposition he or she overcame and I see a student nodding along because that student relates to the scientist,” Bird said. “Those moments make me proud, those moments when my students see what they can do.”