Maryssa Brandt

Q: Where did you go to high school and could you describe your high school experience?

A: I went to high school here in Altoona, and I had a great experience. I was involved in tennis and speech league and many other things, and I loved it. 

Q: What brought you to Altoona to teach?

A: I was looking for a change in career, I previously have not taught. I didn’t have teaching experience, and I was looking for a change in career. I wanted to move back home.

Q: What inspired you to become a teacher?

A: Mr. and Mrs. Sohmer who used to be chemistry teachers here. I fell in love with chemistry because of them. They are the ones who pushed me to go into chemistry and then I wanted to come back and teach. It was because of them that they had such a great impact on me and my love for chemistry.

Q: Who has been the most help to you as you have started this new job?

A: Everyone has been so great; the science department has just been so welcoming and opening and so grateful and so helpful. And then the whole administration has been so helpful, and Mrs. DeShong has been so amazing and so so helpful with everything.

Q: Why did you choose to teach high school students?

A: Because I think it’s a great age where you can have a great impact on what they want to do in the future.

Q: How has the school year gone for you?

A: It’s going great; I have great students. I have great support, so it’s going great.

Q: What were you doing before you came to teach here?

A:  I was what they call, what they say is in industry, so what that means is I was working at a lab bench doing research and developing new things in the lab, and it was really cool. It was a really great experience, but I wanted to have a more direct impact on people’s lives and being a teacher is a great way to do that. So I love it and decided to switch.

Q: How would you describe your classroom?

A: Hands on. I believe that chemistry is a very hands on subject so we do a lot of hands on activities.

Q: What do you want your students to take away from your teaching besides the actual content you’re teaching?

A: I think life skills. I also try to teach life skills and teach life lessons. I hope they take some of those.

Q: What are your top three things to accomplish by the end of the school year? 

A: Going back to school to get my certification, building a bond with my students and the third is to get more involved in Altoona.