David Tran, Upper School Science Teacher
What do you enjoy about teaching at St. Agnes Academy?
I love the community and our mission. I can feel the support from the administrations and parents. We are all partners to help develop our students to become their best selves. The administration is open for all of us to try new ideas and projects.
Why did you want to become a teacher?
“Enter to Learn, Leave to Serve.” During my time at Christian Brothers University, one could see this phrase all around campus. At the time, I did not truly comprehend the meaning of this phrase until I was trying to discern what to do with my life. Mass became a time for me to meditate on God s plans for my life, and I reflected on many different options. Should I follow in my father’s footsteps and become a prosthetist, or should I continue to do research, or should I look into some other medical programs, or should I become a teacher? Every time I thought about teaching, I felt a sense of calm and peace.
How do the Dominican Pillars of Study, Prayer, Community, and Service inspire life at SAA-SDS and impact your work with students?
The pillar of study is found in all schools, but what makes us unique is how we instill Prayer, Community, and Service to our students. I see the way our students impact not only our school community but also our local area. In my biomedical classes, I stress the WHY when choosing a career in the healthcare field. I always try to highlight how health care providers can serve the community. Prayer is an essential part of our community. As a science teacher, I always remind our girls that the goal of science is to gain knowledge and understanding and that there is room for our faith in the world of science. When appropriate, I reference unethical actions taken for the sake of science and the need to always have a moral compass. In the medical intervention, we explore many cases of unethical conduct in research, and we discuss the rules we have in place to prevent future problems.
What do you hope students take away from your classes?
I hope that my students will gain the skills necessary to succeed both in college and in their professional careers while being compassionate to those they are serving. I want my students to take ownership of their health and know how to analysis basic health information.
What are some of the ways you bring lessons to life?
In my classes, I always try to show the girls the practical application of the content. This past year, we visited Le Bonheur Children&rsquo's Hospital and St. Jude Children Research Hospital. The students got to see the inner workings of each hospital and, at the same time, had the chance to interact with various healthcare professionals. They also got to connect our content to the practical application. For instance, at St. Jude Science Scholar Symposium, the keynote speaker was presenting about the history, diagnosis, and treatment of osteosarcoma. Approximately a week before, we had completed the lesson on a fictional patient who had osteosarcoma. The girls were excited they could comprehend the presentation at St. Jude. Other times, I bring in speakers to help to connect content to the real world. A local general surgeon spoke to the girls about the process of becoming a surgeon and demonstrated how to suture. I am always on the lookout for people in the healthcare/ STEM community to help our girls learn more about different professions. Videos are also a great way to enhance the content. I have selected documentaries and short videos to allow us to have a discussion on real-world topics like the vaccine debate, antibiotic-resistant diseases, and medication overuse. During our discussions, I always try to let our students express their views and remind them that this is a safe place to talk. We use virtual simulators as a resource to help the girls better understand the content.
What makes the SAA Science program unique?
We work diligently to ensure that our students succeed in their science classes, and the department continuously looks for new resources to help improve our teaching methods. Four years ago, we started Project Lead the Way, a Biomedical program at St. Agnes Academy. We are one of only three schools in Tennessee that have adopted this program. We saw this as an opportunity to help enrich our student interest in the STEM/Medical fields. We also encourage our students to explore their interests with independent study programs and other extracurricular activities. Our students are welcome to join our academic teams in STEM competitions. We don’t have an application process for our teams; we simply want passionate students. Over the last few years, our students have placed in many local events that included Science Olympiad, Chemistry Olympiad, Canstruction Jr., and HOSA regional competition. While only 3 science credits are needed to graduate, many of our students take 4 or more science credits. This is a testament to the strength of our science department.
Why is the Project Lead the Way program important?
I firmly believe that science is not only about the content, but also about the laboratory skills and critical thinking. The PLTW biomedical program is a great blend of content and lab skills and helps develop our students to become independent learners. This program is a great compliment to our existing science program. Project Lead the Way continues to innovate their curriculum. During the summer between junior and senior year, rising senior biomedical students must complete a shadowing externship or a research project. For example, Abby Clark and Amber Cook, both members of the Class of 2018, completed summer research projects at the Memphis Zoo. The purpose of the externship is to allow the girls to understand the everyday life of these professionals and to learn what is required of them to be successful.