WelcOMe to the lab, Mr. Tijerina
Could teaching be in your DNA? That is a question I wondered as I spoke to the new biology teacher, Mr. Tijerina about his story on how he came to be a teacher at OM. That said, what is biology? Biology is the study of life and living organisms, it is a part of our required ‘life science’ curriculum in Howard County and is an important subject that emphasizes that our ecosystem is a highly interconnected system where non-living and living things work together.
While Mr. Tijerina is new to OM, he’s very familiar with Howard County. He was born in Silver Spring, Maryland, and attended Penn State for his undergrad, and afterwards attended dental school for graduate school, which he wasn’t a fan of, but he continued to stay motivated through his family, who encouraged him to do what he loved to do. He eventually moved back to the East Coast to pursue a teaching career, as he was interested in sharing his knowledge with everybody. He describes Columbia as having unique characteristics since it’s located between Baltimore, Philadelphia, and D.C., and that it is diverse and full of different cultures.
“It’s always been math and science,” he said when asked why he chose Biology. He describes math “as having a universal language that anybody can speak” and that science “shares common experiences and dilemmas in the real world.” Mr. Tijerian taught several middle schools in Howard County including Patuxent Valley middle school, Murray Hill middle school, and Donloggin middle school as a life and earth science teacher, as well as working as a hybrid homeschool teacher during the Covid pandemic and teaching at Howard Community College.
Currently, Mr. Tijerina works as a split teacher, working periods 1-3 here at OM for on-grade Biology, and periods 5-6 for GT Biology at Howard High School. The reason he chose OM was because he wanted to find a school that had a strong sense of community, and both OM and Howard had a Biology opening so it worked great for him.
He describes the school as “A well knit group of people” who are like a family and says “There is something here for everybody in OM”. Being split has challenged him during the years since it is hard to build relationships with staff members, but the school community has really helped him feel welcome.
He understands that Biology can be a tough subject, but he wants his students to know that he is by their side, helping them reach their potential in any way that he can. He applies this philosophy in his classroom space by communicating with his students, asking about their hobbies and what they like, and he relates their shared experiences to biology. He mentions anchor charts, discussion driven posts, and areas where students can lead and can construct their thoughts and their experiences in his classroom.
He describes himself as patient, a leader, community driven (An usher at his church, and a part of the Knights of Columbus which is a Catholic organization that helps local communities), and respectful. During his days off, he does reflections over his week, grades, and likes to listen to jazz. Additionally, he likes playing fantasy football and baseball, seeing baseball games, going to concerts, cooking, and walking in nature. He looks forward to OM homecoming and the homecoming football game.
