FEATURE
Appreciating Our Teachers
A Q&A with
Educators in the DMV
BY JARRAD SAFFREN
T Appreciating Laura Nutter
Bullis High School,
Potomac (Grades 9-12)
Laura Nutter
20 Washington FAMILY MAY 2023
What do you enjoy most about
teaching? I love getting to know my students and talking
to them about things they’re interested in and
things they enjoy. I love getting them excited
about science. I think of times where I’ve done
a demonstration, and their jaws literally drop.

How does that happen? Or maybe it’s some-
thing we’ve learned before and they’ll have
that moment where they’re like, ‘Oh, that’s
how that’s connected to the other concept we
learned.’ [I love] to see the actual click in their
brain as we make these connections.

mind is patience. I have learned the power
of patience and how to be patient in all
diff erent types of situations.

What made you want to be a
teacher? My fi rst job out of college was as a lab
technician at the University of Richmond.

I enjoyed the science, but I really enjoyed
teaching the undergrads. That’s where it
clicked for me. My fi rst full-time job was
at TC Williams [High School] in Alexan-
dria [Virginia]. A bio teacher position. My
fi rst year was really hard. I was working
12- to 14-hour days. But I would still have
What is something that
those moments of, ‘Oh, this is so fun.’ I
teaching has taught you?
still remember one activity. We were learn-
I mostly teach biology, so I always tell the ing genetics and making marshmallows out
students I have learned more biology of the genes. I remember one student say-
being a teacher than being a biology major ing, ‘That was so fun.’ I said, ‘I could cry.’
in college. The second thing that comes to It’s worth it.

TEACHERS: COURTESY; BLACKBOARD:CHINNAPONG / ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS
eachers do it all—and often without the recognition they deserve.

In celebration of our hardworking teachers for Teacher Appreciation Week
(May 8-12), we reached out to winning schools from Washington Family’s
July 2022 Readers’ Choice Poll, each of which had school offi cials recommend
a teacher that exemplifi ed the school’s excellence. Get to know these local
educators and why they do what they do.