Laura Valentine became interested in teaching when she was in college. “I was a teacher assistant for a couple of classes and I enjoyed that experience. So that made me think more about the idea of teaching,” she said.

Valentine, a new Tam Integrated Science 3/4 teacher, caries experience of teaching in San Francisco public schools. Prior to teaching, she worked in research laboratories that studied microbiology.

Growing up in a suburban area of Michigan, Valentine has been interested in science since she was in high school. She attended a math and science focused school, which she agreed was a great environment for her. “I am excited about being at Tam because it is a school that has a large student body, and has many students who are excited about science,” she said. “I really care about students being successful, so that’s my main job, to help students be successful in my class, and to do that, I feel like it’s very important to get students interested in how science relates to their life or something that they are interested in.”