Science is one of the subjects a lot of people struggle with, but for a specific teacher at Omaha South, it is quite the opposite.
Science teacher Michael Peterson is very passionate about the art of science.
“I have always been really good at science, so I decided to pursue that as a career,” Peterson said. Peterson explained that he has always loved school and the idea of education. He also said that because he loves the idea of education, it means a lot to be able to pass knowledge on to students and watch them grow.
Because science is one of the most difficult subjects for kids in school, Peterson shared a couple techniques to help students succeed.
“I approach the student and try to get them to open up,” Peterson said. He added that he tells the individual that it is OK to make mistakes because you can learn from them.
“Students have so many negative experiences, so it’s hard to have them open up and try,” he said.
Peterson also added that he is different from other teachers because he doesn’t try to fit into a certain category; he simply acts like himself. In Peterson’s classes, he thoroughly goes through the assignments and includes a lot of hands-on work.
“The biggest thing to build relationships with students is trust and respect,” Peterson explained. He said that taking time to see how they are doing and participating in school events also helps in building those relationships.
Peterson claimed that he finds the “aha” moments the most rewarding while he teaches.
Peterson said he reads many current event articles in his free time and attends conferences to stay up to date with science developments; for example, he shared that he loves The James Webb Telescope launched by NASA in 2021.
“The idea of being able to see so far out and see things we could never identify before is super interesting,” he said. Peterson also shared that astronomy is his favorite scientific field.
Peterson has taught at South High for 21 years and plans to retire here. His goals are to continue to help as many kids as possible with their science credits and help them graduate.
“I see myself more as a teacher than a scientist,” he added.
