By Jessica Wu
Staff Writer
For Catherine Barden, teaching biology is more than cell diagrams, DNA and photosynthesis. This advanced placement and college prep biology teacher doesn’t just see teaching as an explanation of the study of life, but also as a way of life.
“I became a teacher because I really like to work with kids and I also really like biology. It was pretty natural that I became a biology teacher at Mira Costa,” Barden said.
Her love for biology and science started in high school after she was inspired by her own biology teacher.
“ I really try to base my teaching methods off of my high school biology teacher as well as many other influential teachers that I had in school. I try to take the best from each one and tailor my methods based on what type of studetnts I have in that class,” Barden said.
Barden started teaching five years ago and has been a faculty member of Costa since the beginning of the 2008-09 school year. Barden majored in biology at the University of California San Diego, and biology has always been her favorite subject.
Barden teaches five classes of AP biology and one class of CP biology, though she taught only CP biology last year. Barden will most likely teach AP biology again next year.
“I think it is a lot more work to teach AP biology yet more rewarding. My favorite topic is ecology because you can relate it to the real world,” Barden said.
Barden said she feels that the most effective way of teaching is through lots of support tools, which include things like worksheets, handouts, and visuals. Students said they like that her lessons are straightforward.
“I like that she goes through each lesson in class and that her lectures that we take notes on are very thorough,” junior Danny Padilla said.
If she were not a teacher, Barden said she would probably do something else involved in biological sciences, such as a job in lab technology or pharmaceuticals. Being a teacher has always been one of her top career choices, even when she was younger.
“While I was working at a special education preschool, I realized that teachers play a big role in the lives of students and that they really can make a difference. That is really why I chose to be a teacher,” Barden said.
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