Ms. Yevoli is a new teacher at BHS. She is teaching Living Environment for 8^th grade, AP Biology, and Marine Science. Ms. Yevoli is also planning on coaching one of the lacrosse teams, which she is very excited about. The following is an interview I had the opportunity to conduct with Ms. Yevoli.

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Q: What is your least favorite or most favorite thing about being a teacher?

A: My most favorite thing about being a teacher is sharing my love for science, and seeing students get excited about science, but also seeing my students improve; like I’m seeing them learn new things and getting from point A to point B, and overall just the progression of like learning new things – it’s nice to see.

Q: Where are you from?

A: Massapequa.

Q: Did you go to high school there?

A: I did.

Q: What were you like in high school?

A: I did play a lot of sports, but I also took school very seriously, and I think I played a sport for each season.

Q: When did you first know that you wanted to be a teacher – and a science teacher specifically?

A: So, my mom was a teacher, so it was something I always thought about, and I did my undergrad in marine biology, and after doing that, I worked a little bit in animal care, but after doing that, I realized my passion was teaching and coaching and I realized that in teaching science, I’m also coaching as well, so I thought this was the best path for me, and it has been going well so far.

Q: Do you think that growing up on Long Island kind of influenced your interest in Marine Biology?

A: Definitely. Yeah, actually I was speaking to my brother about that, how your environment can influence your interest, I grew up around boats and going on the beach, so that’s definitely why I was passionate about that.

Q: How do you try to meet the needs of all your different students – the students who come in, saying they love science, how do you keep them challenged while trying to help the students who come in saying they don’t like science to understand it better and maybe come to like it?

A: One of the things I do, I try to see what my students’ interests are, so I can try and incorporate that into the lessons, and I think if a lesson could be made more relatable, I can try to get them interested in it. I try to make it fun in here. We are still definitely on-task, but we have fun.

Q: Would you say that you try to meet with students’ different interests, and engage them with those interests in the classroom?

A: Yes, exactly. So I get to know them a little, what they’re interested in, if I learn more about them I can incorporate that into the lessons, and I think that keeps everyone engaged and excited.

Q: Do you have a favorite lesson?

A: A favorite lesson…I always like when in 8^th grade we do enzymes, and we do catalase and the potato, and I always think it’s really cool because we get to use all the test tubes, the hot plates, and it’s very “science-y” – I feel that’s what you picture science class should be, and you get to use a lot of lab equipment; it’s very hands-on.

Q: Do have a favorite type of class, like a field of science to teach?

A: Well definitely biology, since that’s mostly what I do. I don’t think I have a favorite class, there’s different things I like about each of the subjects, I feel like all of them are things that I’ve always been interested so I feel very lucky that I get to teach what I’m teaching right now.

Q: Do you have any advice for students trying to enter a career in science or in teaching?

A: I think my advice would be to keep working hard, focus on your goals and everything in life is about your effort, so as long as you always give 100% effort you can accomplish anything.

Q: How do you like to spend a day off?

A: I like to either go for a walk on the beach or a walk in the park, just being in nature is nice.

Q: What’s your favorite hobby?

A: My favorite hobby is reading, I like to read. I like the mysteries, like James Patterson. I also like a little bit of Stephen King, but he’s like kind of scary.

Q: If you could take a dream vacation, where would it be and who would you go with?

A: I think I would go to either the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, or Redwood National Park, and I think I would take my two best girlfriends with me.

Q: Do you like to hike, then?

A: Hiking is something I would like to get into, but I haven’t actually gone on a real hike, because there’s not anything for that around here. I would have to travel to do that.

Q: Which do you like better, chocolate or vanilla?

A: Vanilla.

Q: Dog or cat?

A: Cat.

Q: Do you say ‘sneakers’ or ‘tennis shoes’?

A: Sneakers.

Q: Starbucks or Dunkin’?

A: Starbucks.

Q: Okay, what’s like your order when you go to Starbucks?

A: I like a black iced coffee, just simple, to-the-point.

Q: Are you an early bird or night owl?

A: Definitely an early bird.

Q: Outdoors or indoors?

A: Outdoors.

Q: Mountains or Beaches?

A: Beaches – wow that was hard, I mean they’re both so beautiful.

Q: Card game or board game?

A: Board game.

Q: And… would you rather use an umbrella or a raincoat?

A: Umbrella.

Thank you so much for your time!

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