This year Lakeland High School not only has new students, but there are new faces on the teaching staff. One of these faces includes Chris Anderson in the science department.
Anderson teaches Earth and Space Science, Introduction to Forensics and college Chemistry 101/101 lab.
Anderson has been a teacher for 16 years and enjoys seeing the ah-ha moments that students have. Teaching is something that he enjoys doing, and he loves watching his students grow.
Anderson is not your average teacher, as he is an outgoing and unique teacher with a much different approach.
A lot of teachers like to stand in front of the class for 55 minutes and lecture the whole time. This can be very boring for many students, leaving them unmotivated.
Anderson’s way of teaching involves giving students notes and information upfront and having them learn it. After they have taken the time to learn the information, he then will go over any questions that they have along the way. This is to make sure they have a strong understanding of the concept. This is called the flip method of teaching.
“I personally enjoy this because I am a person who can not follow along in class,” Anderson said. He notes that being able to take material home and study it at your own pace can be helpful for students. Anderson also knows that if he were lost and needed help, he would want to be able to reach out.
Kage Weil, a junior, is always looking forward to Anderson’s class at the end of the day because of Anderson’s calm personality and ability to teach in a more interesting way.
“Honestly, I look forward to going to class every day because he makes the learning environment fun,” Weil stated.
Anderson assumes that his students like his flexibility the most about him.
Having a teacher who is able to understand and listen is something that students look for at the beginning of the year when trying to connect with a teacher. This makes a learning environment so much easier and more enjoyable.
Not only is Anderson a fantastic teacher, but he’s a pretty interesting guy.
Anderson is also a pilot; not many teachers you meet can say that they can fly planes.
Weil said that the most interesting thing that he learned about Anderson is that he works for the government.
“I do indeed work for the Department of Defense. It is usually the US Navy,” Anderson said.
Not only do his students really enjoy him, but so do his co-workers.
Keara Schaffer, a biology and AP biology teacher who is right across the hall from Anderson, says that she thinks he seems like a great person for the position.
“Anderson fits right in with the science teachers. He is kinda goofy and excentric like he should be,” said Schaffer