Winthrop High School has an amazing group of teachers. Today I had the privilege of interviewing Winthrop High School’s very own Biology, AP Biology, and Anatomy teacher, Mr. Brett Davis.
Do you enjoy teaching?
Mr. Davis: “Yes, I love being a teacher, It is a really important thing for me and I have a lot of passion for my job and the work that I do.”
What made you choose teaching as a career? Why do you want to teach bio and anatomy?
Mr. Davis: “Actually, growing up, didn’t ever think about being a teacher. After I graduated college with my Biotechnology degree I was a little lost. I was trying to work in a lab for a little while, and I realized that I didn’t want to do that kind of work. I thought that I might like explaining biology to people, so that led me to pursue my teaching license. I teach bio because that’s what my degree is in, and it’s always been my favorite science, explaining how life works. Anatomy and physiology is an extension of biology, and is just talking about how the human body works.”
What did you do before you taught?
Mr. Davis: “Like I said, for a short period of time I worked in a lab. When I was younger I worked in restaurants, I worked as a waiter.”
Why did you come to Winthrop High School?
Mr. Davis: “When I got my teaching license it was late August, and as we all know, school here starts in late August. I looked for job openings on this website, it’s called Schoolspring, and I saw there was an opening at Winthrop High School. I applied for the job, got an interview and I was hired that very day. I wasn’t choosing Winthrop for any particular reason, I actually thought I was too far away from where I live, but now I am still doing that commute all the way from Gloucester 10 years later.”
What are some hobbies/activities that you do outside of school?
Mr. Davis: ” My students know that I talk about golf quite a lot. I am a golfer, that’s one thing that I really like to do. I’m a soccer player, I play soccer from time to time. It’s one of my hobbies, so I guess you could say sports in general is a thing for me. I also like to hang out and chill, and I love going out with my friends. I enjoy going to the beach during the summer, I like to be outside as much as possible to soak in the sunshine.”
You are commonly seen wearing quarter-zips, which one is your favorite?
Mr. Davis: “I mean it’s hard to pick, I have hundreds of quarterzips. I wish I had more time to prepare to answer this question, it’s like asking me to pick my favorite child. I mean probably anything that stands out and pops. I am known for my fashion sense, so anything with colors or designs, ones that are wild and out there, those are my personal favorites.”
What’s your favorite thing about Winthrop High School?
Mr. Davis: “You know, people ask me all the time how is it working in Winthrop. I’ve always enjoyed working here because the students are very respectful. I have some students who don’t pick up on the material as quickly, but most of my students are very motivated. They come to class ready to learn and are always willing to listen to my instructions or take any advice that I give them. I am very lucky because at other schools the students are often very combative or not always prone to learning. I think as a school we value our education and I think that’s a beautiful thing. It makes the job something that is super awesome and it is usually a fun time to come here because of the Winthrop students.”
Tell me some of your favorite movies, TV shows, and songs.
Mr. Davis: “On the music front, I have a very interesting taste in music I think. I don’t listen to pop music, or what’s popular on the radio, or on Spotify. I listen to electronic music, and I have done so since my years in high school. For the record, I’m not talking about dance music, that’s what a lot of people think when I say that. I’m not that big of a TV guy, but if I were to list some of my favorite TV shows, for dramas it would be Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. For a comedy, Curb Your Enthusiasm, that’s one of my favorite shows of all time. An old show that not a lot of students have heard of is Lost, that show is awesome.”
If you weren’t teaching what would you do instead?
Mr. Davis: “I can’t think of anything that I would do if I wasn’t a teacher. If I couldn’t be a teacher, I would have to have a career related to Biology and Biotechnology. Biology is too important to not have it as a key part of my life.”
Is there any advice you have for current high schoolers?
Mr. Davis: “Yep, for high school students, pay attention to your grades, get the highest grades as possible. Get involved in many different extracurricular activities. Build your resume, so you can provide yourself with an opportunity to get into many different schools. Some advice that I was given a long time ago was, in life, you might not know what you want to do, but you want to keep as many different options open. As you get older and get more complacent and make more mistakes, doors start to close. What you want to do is keep as many doors open as possible.”
