Mr. Reid has taught high school science at iCademy for five years and currently runs the robotics team and the MineCraft club.
What drew you to teaching?
I received an offer to run a series of summer camps with Innocademy when I was studying pre-med and I loved it. I started thinking about teaching as a profession because I enjoyed working with kids so much and science was a passion of mine.
What’s your favorite thing about teaching at iCademy?
It’s a highlight to see students come into this platform and take advantage of the opportunities we have at iCademy. The brick and mortar setting doesn’t work for everybody. Many students succeed in a virtual setting that’s flexible and allows them to take part in activities outside of school. It’s inspiring to see students identify their passions and have the space, availability and support to chase after those passions.
What inspires you the most about teaching?
Seeing students who are struggling reach that light bulb moment. We have a lot of opportunities in this platform to do small groups and one-on-one tutoring and work with students. I’m able to develop strong relationships with students even though it’s often times only through a screen. Being able to see them reach that light bulb moment after struggling with a concept or their self confidence; that moment is powerful.
How did you get involved with the Robotics Club?
I’ve always been into competition. We had a fledgling robotics team and they asked for help so I jumped into it. It was quite the eye opener. The coolest thing to me was being able to work side-by-side with these students. I get the resources they need but it’s their team and their project so I encourage them to go after it themselves. I get to see these kids develop good relationships with each other and also learn all this interesting material. We’ve had a couple students now who, even while they are still in high school, have gotten career-level jobs and training because of the programming they did and learned on the robotics team.
The competitions are eye opening too, it’s impressive what they are able to do and how competitive the students are.
Are you involved in any other extracurricular activities with iCademy?
I helped a high school sophomore start the MineCraft club, but I’m just the token adult. I give the club the thumbs up and he runs the private server for iCademy students only. It’s inspiring to watch them run these servers themselves and see the worlds that they build.
What advice would you give to current or future iCademy students?
Use the time that you have now to try to identify what you’re passionate about. Then figure out how to learn more and get into it; and then run with it. This can take people a lot of time, so identifying even one thing early on can be beneficial. Also know that there will be lots of people who care about you and want to help you succeed, but it will take your own focus to make it happen.
What do you do for fun outside of iCademy?
My family and I like going to the beach and playing beach volleyball. We also enjoy hiking, downhill winter skiing, waterfowl hunting, and fishing. I’ve got a three year old and a two year old and we like to play outside. Whether that’s in the mud or snow or whatever is available, we try to be outside as much as we can.
What’s one fun fact your students might not know about you?
I’m a born and raised Canadian. Every once in a while my students will catch me when I say ‘pencil crayons’ instead of ‘colored pencils,’ because that’s what we call them. For some reason that’s the one thing I’ve held onto all these years.