Rules! Alison Caruso Makes the Grade
Alison Caruso is the kind of science teacher every kid wishes they had in middle school. Dedicated to her students, passionate about her subject and excited to teach — it’s surprising that Alison didn’t set out to be a teacher at first. Her love of science started in her high school anatomy and physiology class.
Alison applied for the sub position and spent a few months teaching
middle school science. After the school’s official
“I was fascinated by how the body works,” Alison says. “I was a runner in high school and I was really into being healthy. My anatomy and physiology class taught me how all the systems in the body work together to keep us healthy. I learned more about the human body in college and after graduating, I worked in a hospital rehab setting, teaching people how to take better care of their hearts after surgery.” After her kids were born, Alison took some time off work. Just as she was preparing to reenter the workforce, her
science teacher returned, Alison switched to a paraprofessional position and worked with kids who had special needs. She
spent a lot of time working one-on- one with kids in different classrooms, including the science lab. Alison was really impressed with how engaging the science teacher was with her students. This inspired her to go back to school and get certified to be a teacher herself.
“There are so many different areas of science,” Alison says. “That means there are a lot of avenues for kids to get into it. I got into science because I was super into biology. I’ve had students get into science because they like rocks and volcanoes or chemistry. The cool thing about science is it’s everywhere! My class isn’t just sitting around reading textbooks. We’re looking at how science works in real life.” When Alison isn’t giving Ms. Frizzle a run for her money, she’s spending time with her family, often hiking or playing board games. She still runs, too, though she’s upgraded to marathons and ultramarathons — or as Alison calls them, “girls’ weekends.”
husband, who works as a
school administrator, came home with a problem.
“He told me, ‘Alison, we’re in a bind! A teacher is going on maternity leave and we don’t have a long- term sub for science.’ And I thought, ‘Hey, I know science!’”
2 OctoberKitchen.com
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