At the Tuttle vs Bridge Creek football game, Bridge Creek’s Principal Joe Billington was presented a check for Science and Math education at Bridge Creek High School by the people of Oklahoma Oil & Natural Gas.
One of the teachers who will benefit from this donation is Adam Carr who teaches Chemistry, Web Design, and Robotics at Bridge Creek High.
Tell us a little bit about yourself. Your hobbies, your passions.
My wife, Julie, and I have been married for 23 years. We have two daughters, one is a freshman at SWOSU, Julie and I’s alma mater, and one is in 6th grade at Bridge Creek Middle school where Julie is also a science teacher. We love LEGO, science, and Jesus not necessarily in that order.
What classes do you teach?
I am currently teaching Chemistry, Web Design, and Robotics. But I have taught math from Intermediate Algebra through AP Calculus and Statistics, Biology, Anatomy, Government and Oklahoma History, as well as Computer Programming, and Computer Science.
Where did you go to college and what led you into teaching?
I went to college at Southwestern Oklahoma State University for a degree in field biology. But got out of school in a bad recession when there were no jobs for new field biologists. Teaching had been on my bucket list of things I wanted to do, and Bridge Creek gave me a shot 21 years ago. I found that working with students and helping them see their own power to understand, shape and interact with the world was very rewarding. I haven’t found anything more fulfilling.
Who mentored you into the educator you are today?
My inspiration and mentor as a teacher in large part are my parents. My mom and I both teach at Bridge Creek High School, as a kid she and my dad challenged me to not just do my work but appreciate the value of knowledge and a job well done as their own reward. Then in high school I had several good teachers that taught me to value expressing, but also challenging my own understanding. As a professional, my mom was a constant source of inspiration and encouragement. But, she also knew my heart, and could encourage me to bring my passion for learning into the classroom.
What do you love about teaching?
I love student taking responsibility for being awesome and then feeding them the tools, tips, and tricks to maximize their own power. When students become confident to have an idea, can back it up, and express their own understanding, those are the moments I come to work for. For most people that confidence is not natural and it takes someone encouraging them and giving them the opportunity to have an idea and express it before they can begin to develop that confidence, and that is what I want to do in my classroom.
What is great about your current school?
Bridge Creek gives to me what I give to my students. A desire to be good and then open doors for whatever good looks like. When I want to do a project that serves students, they have my back. They help find resources and help accommodate whatever is good for kids.
Why is teaching Science and Math so important?
Science, Math, History, Computers at the end of the day, at their core objective, are the story of how we solve problems in a practical way and then share the story of how we solved the problem with someone else. I can’t think of a better contribution to society or existence as a whole than to learn to solve problems together.
