The following is a full transcript of the interview given by Mr. Mondesir to The Warrior Messenger’s Maleeyah Mayweathers about being a 7th and 8th grade science teacher 

(The Warrior Messenger) MALEEYAH MAYEATHERS, HOST : What is your role at WMS?

Mr. Mondesir (a science teacher at WMS): I’m a science teacher at WMS.

MB: Now that you have been here a few months, what has surprised you most about our middle schoolers?

MM:  You guys have a lot of energy to work with.  Motivating you to want to do something is tough is like a changing and centering that energy. 

MB: Looking back at your first week, what is one thing you adjusted after getting to know the students?

 MM: It’s like a blur, learning names is always tough for me, noise, getting used to the requests and things like that; but also just balancing everything and realizing progress takes time. 

MB:  How has your initial teaching philosophy shifted after seeing our students interact with the material?

MM: I definitely see that everyone can learn.  I came from teaching high school with higher education and things like that, and just seeing the middle school level, you know, the foundational aspect coming in between reading and writing comprehension–those are still central to learning.     

MB: What has been your biggest win or breakthrough moment with a struggling student so far?

MM: That’s a really good question, I would say touching on their curiosity for science.  When you have students that don’t enjoy enough science they aren’t necessarily drawn to it and then you go through something that shows throughout your day is really encouraging and inspiring.      

MB:. Can you share a specific story of a student who started the year disengaged from science but has recently turned a corner?

MM: I feel like there are so many stories to share. We did a sleep study at the start of the year. It was something that was so reliable. Obviously, everyone has to sleep and just have an opportunity to talk about how to run an experiment, collect data and things like that. We had a student really into it.  It just kind of helped discuss sleep habits and the effects of sleep habits.     

MB: How are you helping students make connections between the science they learn in your room and their daily lives outside of school?

MM: Drawing is to things that we do every day, essentially.  

MB: Is there anything else you would like to add?

MM: No.

MB: Thank you for your time.