All About Ms. Woolf....
Hello there! I'm Ms. Woolf and welcome to my website! First thing that you should know about me is that I LOVE being a science teacher. I think that science, especially Life Science, is the most important subject that you take in school (kids... don't tell your Math, Social Studies, or ELA teachers that I said that). Here is why I think that Life Science is so important: in class we are going to learn all about our bodies, how they work and also everything that applies to the natural world around us. It is important that as you become an adult you have a working understanding of the laws that govern the natural world that you live in.
Ms. Woolf FAQ:
What was your favorite subject in school?
Science of course!!! When I was in school I struggled a lot with some other subjects, especially in middle school. When I took my first biology class in high school I finally had "A-HA!" and "I get it!!" moments in class that I had never had before. Through my love of biology class, I was able to learn valuable study skills that I was able to apply to my other classes and become a successful student.
Why did you decide to be a biology teacher?
I decided to be a Life Science teacher because I enjoy teaching the subject to students and watching them learn the content for the first time. I take joy in watching people take interest in the subject that I love so much.
Where are you from?
I grew up in Baltimore County, Maryland and have lived in Maryland my whole life. I went to Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania where I received a Bachelor of Science in Biology. After graduation, I moved to Baltimore City which is the greatest city in the world, in my opinion. Go Ravens!!!
What do you do on the weekends?
When I'm not doing schoolwork I try to spend as much time with family and friends as possible. I ride horses and take my dog on walks. I really like hiking and camping. I also enjoy running and try to go on runs as much as possible outside and in pretty places like Patapsco Valley State Park.
Science of course!!! When I was in school I struggled a lot with some other subjects, especially in middle school. When I took my first biology class in high school I finally had "A-HA!" and "I get it!!" moments in class that I had never had before. Through my love of biology class, I was able to learn valuable study skills that I was able to apply to my other classes and become a successful student.
Why did you decide to be a biology teacher?
I decided to be a Life Science teacher because I enjoy teaching the subject to students and watching them learn the content for the first time. I take joy in watching people take interest in the subject that I love so much.
Where are you from?
I grew up in Baltimore County, Maryland and have lived in Maryland my whole life. I went to Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania where I received a Bachelor of Science in Biology. After graduation, I moved to Baltimore City which is the greatest city in the world, in my opinion. Go Ravens!!!
What do you do on the weekends?
When I'm not doing schoolwork I try to spend as much time with family and friends as possible. I ride horses and take my dog on walks. I really like hiking and camping. I also enjoy running and try to go on runs as much as possible outside and in pretty places like Patapsco Valley State Park.
Some cool stuff I've done:
When I was in college, I lived in a community called the Treehouse for 2 years. I lived there with 14 other young adults who were committed, like me, to living in a sustainable way. We had to agree to hold ourselves to specific living standards. All of the standards were designed so that we lived in a way that had the smallest environmental impact possible.
Here are some of the things we did to lower our carbon footprint:
Here are some of the things we did to lower our carbon footprint:
- We didn't have a dryer, we hung all of our clothes to air-dry
- We had a "grey-water" system, which would cycle our sink and shower water through the toilets so that we would use it twice before it left the house
- We only had 3 minutes of shower water per day (ewww... gross!)
- We composted and used the compost to grow some of our food
- We had solar panels on the roof to off set our energy use
- We burned corn in a stove that heated the house
- We left the thermostat low to use less energy
- We had an old fashioned lawn mower that didn't require any gas (it was also a great workout!)
I used to ride for my college's Equestrian Team. I was the captain for 2 years out of my 4 in college. I also made it to Zone Finals two years in a row. We rode in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association. One of the challenges is that you had to go to competition and draw a random horse out of a hat to ride and then get on and go. You had to be a really good rider to be able to adjust quickly to a horse that you had never ridden before.
I spent a season living and working on an organic farm. We worked every day to grow sustainable, organic vegetables for families that lived in our community. We grew all kinds of food, from strawberries, lettuce, tomatoes, peas, asparagus and much more. We also raised chickens, laying hens (we used these just for eggs), sheep and lambs, and beef cattle. Some of my favorite chores were taking care of the animals. I also liked when the whole crew would do weeding together (pictured, including me!) because we would have some really great and funny conversations.
I also spent a couple of years working in a Biodiesel Shop. What we did was take used cooking oil from local restaurants and convert it into a diesel-like fuel that would run in cars that had diesel engines. The chemical reaction involved in making biodiesel is actually very simple. The byproduct, glycerin, is a main ingredient in soap, so we also had our own line of sustainable soaps. This renewable source of fuel was just as efficient as diesel, and bonus, it made the car exhaust smell like french fries!