Samuel Hummer is a returning teacher at Westford Academy who taught at the high school during the 2018-2019 school year. Hummer previously worked at Nashoba Valley Technical High School, and he will now be teaching physics and engineering at WA.
Q: How was your first day at Westford Academy this year?
A: It was great. All of the staff is very welcoming, the students have all been very pleasant, and they seem to be excited about the school year, which is really great.
Q: How has Westford Academy changed since the last time you were here?
A: There haven’t been major changes. I mean, it’s a little hard to tell, because I was in the math department last time I was here, so that would make it a little bit different as well. I know that there are more students in the building than there were before.
Q: What features about Westford Academy have surprised you so far?
A: One of the changes is that they went from a drop one schedule to a drop two. That was surprising when I came back, although I quite like the drop two schedule. It’s nice to have a little more time with your five classes.
Q: What is your favorite part about the school and its community?
A: It seems like all the students really enjoy their classes and enjoy the people around them. There also seems to be a lot of really cool clubs, [and] things that kids are involved in.
Q: How does Westford Academy compare to Nashoba Tech?
A: It’s much bigger, and since WA [students have] all the same schedules, I see kids in different ways. When I was at Nashoba Tech, I would have my group of juniors for a whole week, all day long, and then I’d miss them and see my sophomores for a week. Then the juniors would come back, so it was a very different schedule.
Q: How did you get into physics and engineering?
A: My undergrad degree is in civil environmental engineering, so I’ve always been interested in engineering. I was teaching math before and physics is sort of a melding of math and science.
Q: What is your favorite physics topic?
A: I like motion; I think that motion and forces are my favorites.
Q: What are some goals that you have set for yourself this year?
A: So coming in new, one of my main goals is to see how the engineering program here is run compared to the way it was at Nashoba Tech, and [to] see what I can bring and add to the current program.
Q: What is your favorite part about teaching?
A: It is when a kid who is not understanding the problem starts to get it. That moment from,”I was not understanding the problem,” to “oh, yes.” That’s my favorite part about teaching.
Q: What subject do you prefer teaching?
A: I think engineering is one of the most fun to teach because it’s a lot of building and creative work, and so it’s really fun to see what kids can do when constrained. You get to see students creative freedom and so that’s my favorite.
Q: How did you do when you were interviewed by the Ghostwriter in 2018?
A: I really enjoyed reading the article after they wrote it and published it, so I look forward to reading this one after it is done.