Dr. Herntier

Education: Bachelor of Science, Brandon University; Ph.D., Florida Institute of Technology

 

How do you feel you can help students to “Start Here. Go Anywhere.”?
Teaching science gives me a great opportunity to give students the skills it takes to compete for the jobs that they hear about all day long. It’s no secret that the world is becoming more dependent on technology, and our science classes at Holy Trinity lay the foundation for what they will be studying at college to learn to use and develop that technology.

 

What motivated you to become a teacher?
I love learning. I love being a player in every part of the process. I’ve never stopped taking courses and am currently pursuing a Ph.D. in applied math. I love thinking about how we learn and the best way to present information to make it attainable. The energy that comes from learning new things and teaching new things to people is second to none.

 

How do you apply the latest technology in your class?
I love technology. I use it to record all my lectures so that students can access them later if they need clarification or if they missed a class. I use data collecting probes that allow me to collect data that would otherwise impossible. Technology can make teaching better by either doing things that are otherwise impossible or allowing kids to experience things in more exciting ways.  If a piece of technology does either of those things (hopefully both) then I want it.

 

How do you inspire students to enjoy learning?
I want my students to experience the physics that I’m teaching them. Whenever I have an opportunity to put my students in the middle of physics, I will. Whether it’s riding the “vomitron” or firing off a cannon, I want them to be able to attach something they’ve done to something they’ve learned. 

 

What do you want your students to gain from having known you?
I’ve told many people that my primary goal for teaching physics is that my class won’t be the last physics class the student takes. I want my students to gain an appreciation of what physics can do for them. I want them to be inspired and enthusiastic enough about physics to continue studying for years after they have gone through what I teach them. In one year, I can only expose students to such a small part of what physics is. They have to want to go get the rest themselves.

 

In what professional development activities have you participated recently?
I recently attended a math modelling workshop with the hopes of expanding some options for our students. Basically, math modelling aims at answering problems where both the mathematics and the problem are taken seriously. “Word problems” from a text book rarely can be applied exactly in the real world. If a student were to perform mathematics for a living, they would have to collect data and make decisions on that data. Math modelling would help students develop the critical thinking skills needed to make those decisions.