Teacher found way to work he enjoys

By MAUREEN MCGUINNESS- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

Mark Stephens knows that many people aren't interested in physics.

Physics classes that are "deadly dull" have turned people off from science, he said. But as science department chair at Catholic Central High School in Troy, he tries to steer clear of dry physics classes.

"It's hard, but you have to make it interesting," he said.

On stage

To make physics interesting, he combines his two favorite interests -- theater and science.

This renaissance teacher not only holds a doctorate in chemical engineering, but he is also a company member of the Actors' Collaborative Inc., the resident theater company at The Egg in Albany.

"I have broad interests," Dr. Stephens said in a southern drawl that announces to people that he is a native of South Carolina. "Teachers are putting on six shows a day to get kids' attention and keep it. On stage, I'm less inhibited. I would not have a problem acting goofy in class to make a point. I do things to get their attention."

Rave reviews

He has certainly gotten his students' attention. Senior Bethany Schongar, the class valedictorian who plans on studying biology at Cornell next fall, said, "He makes everyone feel comfortable and makes everything fun."

Classmate Julie Trance said of Dr. Stephen's class: "Everyone is always smiling."

Senior class president Sarah Spain had a slightly different take on physics class. "It's the hardest, most stressful subject," she said, "but he makes it fun. He's so smart. He's the smartest man I ever met -- and he's at Catholic High in Troy."

Dedication

The students said they enjoyed the voices he uses to make his points, the way he uses the whole classroom to teach, and the way he makes everyone feel comfortable with science.

Their enthusiasm for the teacher recently translated into a unique honor for Dr. Stephens. The senior class dedicated their yearbook to them.

"I'm the physics teacher, and they dedicated it to me," he said with a hint of disbelief in his voice.

Finding a home

That simple gesture by the Class of `98 was an important honor for the teacher. Once a scientist for General Electric, Dr. Stephens found that the business world, despite a high salary, was not for him.

"I wasn't happy," he recently told the senior class. "I lived five minutes away from GE, but I was never once on time for work. I now live 30 minutes away from Catholic Central High School, and I have never been late for school. The difference is you, the students of the Class of 1998."

His choice to give up a financially lucrative career has allowed him to teach his students about life as well as science. "The kids say, `You can pull in the big money; why are you here?'" he explained. "By being here, I can show them that clearly money is not the most important thing. If they get nothing else by me being here, it is that money is not god."

He also suspects he may have turned a few more students on to science. "The enthusiasm I have [for science] pours out," he said. "The students say, `He's so excited about science, I think I'll look around.' I've got students looking into pursing it now."

Road to school

Dr. Stephen's road to being a teacher was not direct. Although he can recall being in the fourth grade and enjoying helping his friends with classwork, he didn't think he wanted to be a teacher. In college, he also found that he would do his assignments quickly so that later in the evening he could host tutoring sessions with his friends.

He attended Clemson University in South Carolina, which wasn't too far from his home. He then pursued his PhD at the University of Florida. Upon completing his doctorate, he moved to New York and began working at General Electric's Research and Development Center in Niskayuna, where he worked for five years.

Then GE started a mentoring program for local high school and college students. "I started mentoring," he said. "When other people's students started to come to me [for help], I took it as a sign."

Switch made

That's when he decided to make the career switch to teaching. He blanketed the area with resumes and was hired at Catholic High four years ago.

He is now department chair, senior class moderator and very active in the school drama program. He directed three school musicals and four interclass plays, and coordinated both the junior and senior variety shows. That's in addition to teaching physics, chemistry, astronomy, and anatomy and physiology.

"If I get out at four, it's a real treat," he said. "I always have papers to grade. I do three times as much work here and I got paid five times as much there, but I don't resent taking work home."

Of his career change, Dr. Stephens said: "Teaching seems to be it. I have the right combination of things to be where I am now."

Faith's role

Teaching in a Catholic school also allows him the opportunity to incorporate religion into his science classes.

"I talk to the kids about the areas where religion and science overlap," he said. "Eastern philosophy teaches everything is nothing and nothing is everything. Modern physics is reaching that. My favorite thing to talk about is the separation between science and religion. Religion and science are merging again. I joke that the theology teacher and I will eventually be team teaching. They're both really headed in the same direction."

He is also impressed by his experience teaching at a Catholic school. "These kids really care about each other," he said. "It's a nice piece that's missing from my own high school background."

(06-11-98) [[In-content Ad]]