From traveling to half of the United States to serving as the head advisor of the Dungeons & Dragons club, Ms. Allison Young has a past filled with adventure and a fantastic future ahead at JP Stevens. Though she is the newest physics teacher at JP, this is certainly not her first experience in the profession given her vast prior experience.

From a young age, Ms. Young has always had a knack for teaching. Her parents are also teachers, and she is a great observer who learned from them during childhood. Ms. Young pursued her career in teaching during her time at college, obtaining a bachelor’s degree in physics and a master’s degree in education. Her college professor offered an atmosphere that allowed her to focus and develop her own style of teaching. 

Teaching physics is a passion for Ms. Young due to her love of problem-solving and passion for understanding how things work. She often references “aha moments”—those instances of sudden understanding—and hopes that she can help her students discover those moments. For some, the satisfaction of finding solutions is by far the most desirable; however, Ms. Young finds working through problems the most favorable. She enjoys when students work through problems, rather than around them, to encourage students to appreciate the process that learning encompasses.

Getting to know students personally is a fundamental part of Ms. Young’s teaching philosophy. She strives to ensure that her students understand that if they do not get it right now, they are growing together.

The building is a whole new environment for Ms. Young, and with such changes comes a different set of emotions. She notes that being a teacher has also given her new perspectives on life which could not have been gained without the skill of reflection. Now reflecting on everything from her classroom to her personal life, introspection in was a fundamental skill acquired by Ms. Young through teaching.

Besides teaching, Ms. Young advises the Dungeons and Dragons club at JP, which is a board game that she enjoys playing in her free time. Along with that, she enjoys crocheting and reading fantasy or nonfiction novels. When asked about her bright future beyond the classroom, Ms. Young would like to travel extensively around the world, as traveling has always been a pleasure for her.

Ms. Young is very excited to embark on her teaching journey at JP as she becomes more involved in the school community and meets more students and staff. She looks forward to being able to support students both in and out of the classroom.