Avid long distance runner Mr. Dan Carroll recently moved from Arlington, Virginia, to join the Bishop’s faculty as a Conceptual Physics teacher. Though he stumbled upon his new job by chance, he has quickly adjusted to Bishop’s, and finds the school to be a great place.
Q: What made you choose to get into physics and science?
Well, that was a long time ago. So, in college I was a psychology major, and then I was working in the business world as a salesperson selling copier machines. And I didn’t really enjoy that very much, so I started thinking of other career paths. In college I had done some education courses, but I had decided not to pursue teaching. And after working in all these, I realized that I thought I would like to be a teacher. I like that challenge. And then it was a matter of deciding what subject I wanted to teach. I’ve always liked school: I love English classes, and I like science classes. And I just thought about which science I thought would be the most intriguing. Since I was a psychology major, I had to go back to school to get a science degree.
Q: What is your favorite part about teaching?
There are so many, I have so many favorite parts. This is my 32nd year, so I really love almost everything about it. I think that getting to meet new people all the time and trying to engage them is what I find most interesting and fun. I really like the challenge of trying to always think of new ways to approach the topic, and find new ways to help people learn physics.
Q: Do you have a favorite school lunch here so far?
Favorite school lunch? Yeah, I don’t know. I’ve really enjoyed all the lunches so far. I generally try to eat vegetarian.
Q: What do you like about Bishop’s in general?
It is very friendly and welcoming. Just the whole, it’s hard to describe. Even when I came for the interview last year, and I came to a demonstration lesson, my sense was that it was a welcoming, supportive place.
Q: What do you enjoy doing outside of school?
I run. That’s my source of enjoyment. I’m a long distance runner. I mean, I love going to the beach. I love to go to museums. I love the zoo. San Diego is a great city. I know it’s very nice. But I really enjoy running.
Q: Have you been running for a long time?
I ran in high school, and I ran a little bit in college, but I didn’t get to stay on the team. Last year, I ran my 15th marathon. I also just qualified for the Boston marathon last year too.
