David P' Benz At Queens Academy High School

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David P. Benz At Queens Academy High School

• Background and
• Educational Objectives

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David BenzTeaching Background

• I started teaching SCUBA diving classes for
  national certification at the YMCA while I was a
  senior in high school.
• In 15 years, I certified over 1000 divers at
  levels from beginning to pre-instructor.
• My favorite was a certification in Niagara River,
  High-Speed diving.

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Diving Experiences

• I have had the opportunity to SCUBA dive in
  several Great Lakes, New Yorks Finger Lakes,
  quarries throughout the northeast U.S.
  Canada, as well as in the Atlantic Ocean and
  Caribbean Sea.
• Fossil collection in limestone quarries is a
  favorite diving activity.

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Downhill Skiing Instruction

• In 1985, I took a skiing-instructors class and
  began teaching many SCUBA divers to ski.
• I have been fortunate to ski in the Adirondack
  Mountains in New York, Colorado and Canadian
  Rocky Mountains, and the Fitzsimmons Range in
• British Columbia.

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Photography Instruction

• I started teaching underwater photography for
  specialty certification in 1978.
• Both SCUBA diving and photography require that
  you keep track of many variables simultaneously.
• Merging the 2 was exciting and fun!

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Photography Instruction

• I taught basic photography for many years.
• A favorite class was better pictures with
  disposable cameras because it taught people how
  to view the subject artistically instead of
  concentrating on the mechanics of using a complex
  camera.

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Public School Teaching

• I began teaching in public school during an
  undergraduate internship at Kensington High
  School.
• I taught Earth Science in one of Buffalos most
  troubled high schools as students prepared for
  their Regents exams.

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Student Teaching

• My first student teaching assignment was at
  Niagara Falls High School the only high school
  in the city.
• I taught Physics at the regular and honors levels
  and a class in Advanced-Placement Physics that
  was offered for college credit.

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Lancaster Middle

• My next assignment was 7th grade physical
  science.
• The school was not able to offer lab activities
  to students, but I provided a wealth of
  demonstrations to my students.

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New York City

• I began teaching in New York in September 2004.
• I have been teaching Earth Science, Physics, GED
  Science, and Regents Review classes at Queens
  Academy High School.

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New York Schools

• I feel privileged to walk into my classroom each
  day, and my goal is to generate enthusiasm for
  science and learning.
• Instruction is Standards-based, student-centered,
  and follows the NYS Core Curriculum.

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Educational Objectives

• My first and foremost objective is to develop
  literacy across the curriculum.
• I make an effort to improve every students
  literacy skills.
• My Masters in Teaching English to Speakers of
  Other Languages (TESOL) helps facilitate this
  goal.

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Educational Objectives

• I develop critical thinking skills in my
  students.
• I need them to look at something and ask why? or
  how?
• More importantly, they need to be able to perform
  an investigation of their own design and answer
  their questions.

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Educational Objectives

• My students will be better prepared for life
  after high school.
• They will have the skills to help them perform in
  a career of their choosing.
• Literacy is vitally important to this goal.

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Educational Objectives

• My students will feel safe and respected in my
  classroom.
• Every student is encouraged to participate to
  their highest level.
• A student-centered learning environment is
  created with myself as the guide.

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Educational Objectives

• Cultural diversity is accepted and embraced as an
  opportunity for greater learning and
  understanding.
• Every culture has something to offer to our
  learning of science.

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Educational Objectives

• Gender bias is not permitted in my classroom.
• In coed science classes, boys will often lead,
  while girls observe and follow.
• I insist that every student participates fully.

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Educational Objectives

• Science instruction includes literacy,
  mathematics, history, technology, social studies
  and even philosophy in addition to the science
  curriculum.
• A good science teacher includes something from
  all the subject areas.

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The future

• I will continue to teach in the largest school
  district in the U.S as long as I am able to bring
  a fresh approach to science topics each time I
  cover them.