Among the new faculty and staff joining the MacDuffie community for the 2018-2019 school year is science teacher Lisa Page, who is currently teaching Middle School science classes for sixth and eighth graders as well as an Upper School College Prep Biology course.

Page arrived at MacDuffie with a significant amount of experience in teaching science; she has been involved in the field for 17 years, teaching subjects including Biology and Middle School Science as well as Chemistry and Physics. She has taught at the Wilbraham and Monson Academy in the past as well as numerous public schools in the area.

Page first became involved in science in college when she pursued a degree in geology, though she soon decided that she preferred the vibrance and life of biology.

“It was too much of nonlife,” Page said of her experience in geology, adding, “I wanted more of studying life…I just liked exploring things. I definitely liked biology better.”  

Despite her dedicated background in teaching, Page had not initially planned on becoming a science teacher, but rather a biology researcher. However, once she accepted a teaching job as a middle school science teacher shortly after graduating from the University of Massachusetts, she decided that the field of teaching was the one she wanted to pursue.

“After those first years of teaching I realized how much I enjoyed it and decided to stay with it,” Page said. Page enjoys teaching primarily because of “the creativity involved in developing lessons” that give students the opportunity to “discover the information for themselves.”

Page also mentioned that she particularly likes teaching middle school science courses because of the “broad range” of scientific information that students learn about; she feels that this level “encompasses all of it.”

In terms of her experience at MacDuffie thus far, Page has had “nothing to say but good things about it,” citing the friendliness of the students and faculty in particular. She said that while teaching at a new school meant that she had a “lot of work,” she still found that “it’s worth it.”

Outside of MacDuffie, Page likes to spend time with her family; she has three children, aged 15, 13, and 11, as well as a boxer named Tula. A few of her hobbies include going to the beach, traveling to new places, and running, although she hopes to share one of her passions with the MacDuffie community: yoga.

Page is a certified yoga instructor and would eventually like to incorporate mindfulness into her classes. Although Page is planning on taking courses that will teach her how to bring yoga into a classroom setting, she has also considered turning her interest in yoga into a CAP.

In general, Page enjoys the “restorative aspects” of her hobby—namely “stress reduction”—and believes that yoga is especially beneficial for students.

“I know that would benefit this age group—middle school through high school—that would benefit a lot to reduce stress and be mindful,” Page said, describing the relevance of yoga at MacDuffie.

Updated December 10, 2018. We erroneously stated that Page initially pursued a degree in ecology when she actually pursued a degree in geology.