Welcome! My name is Angela Rhoades. I am a Secondary Science teacher with Michigan teaching endorsements in Biology and Chemistry. I had the honor of being selected as a 2012-2013 Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellow at Grand Valley State University.
Originally from San Francisco, I have lived in Michigan for the past two years. My professional background since earning two degrees in Biology has included working in a variety of medical research labs and volunteering at Wildcare Wildlife Rehabilitation & Terwilliger Nature Education Center in California and currently John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids. After my last exciting research endeavor in canine genetics came to an end, I decided it was time to make a career change and pursue my long-time interest in education.
Some of my greatest passions in education which I strive to incorporate into my lessons are inquiry and problem-solving. I want science to be authentic and engaging and for students to approach it not as a list of facts to memorize, but as a process of which they are a part! I want them to ask questions, make mistakes, and explore. In order to make science accessible for all students, I believe in explicitly teaching disciplinary literacy skills, incorporating daily formative assessments, giving students choice in their own learning, and bringing in as many real-world examples and hands-on activities for them as possible. Overall, I want to make science fun instead of intimidating and hopefully to spark a passion in some budding future scientists.
My interests and hobbies include animals, music, Italian language and culture, strategy board games, dog sports, guitar, hiking, soccer, reading, and visiting as many National Parks as I can!
Originally from San Francisco, I have lived in Michigan for the past two years. My professional background since earning two degrees in Biology has included working in a variety of medical research labs and volunteering at Wildcare Wildlife Rehabilitation & Terwilliger Nature Education Center in California and currently John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids. After my last exciting research endeavor in canine genetics came to an end, I decided it was time to make a career change and pursue my long-time interest in education.
Some of my greatest passions in education which I strive to incorporate into my lessons are inquiry and problem-solving. I want science to be authentic and engaging and for students to approach it not as a list of facts to memorize, but as a process of which they are a part! I want them to ask questions, make mistakes, and explore. In order to make science accessible for all students, I believe in explicitly teaching disciplinary literacy skills, incorporating daily formative assessments, giving students choice in their own learning, and bringing in as many real-world examples and hands-on activities for them as possible. Overall, I want to make science fun instead of intimidating and hopefully to spark a passion in some budding future scientists.
My interests and hobbies include animals, music, Italian language and culture, strategy board games, dog sports, guitar, hiking, soccer, reading, and visiting as many National Parks as I can!