A science lover throughout high school and college, Isabel Sipkema teaches biology and algebra at the high school. With an international upbringing, she has lived in Dubai and Oman, and spent her last two years of high school in the Netherlands. In her free time, she enjoys reading books of all genres and running.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I love running. I am currently training for a half marathon and I am coaching Dreamfar this year, the running club for a half marathon and marathon. I did cross country and track in high school, and I’ve been running ever since early elementary school. I always just loved running because no matter where I lived, running is something I could do everywhere.

What types of things do you enjoy reading?

I enjoy reading a large variety of books. A lot of, unfortunately, ‘Book Tok’ books. TikTok is a large inspiration. I read everything from general fiction to romance to historical fiction to nonfiction, so pretty much everything. I like how reading is something I can do to take my mind off of everything else. It’s very peaceful at the end of the day, when I’m done working or grading or running. It doesn’t matter if I read for ten minutes or an hour; it’s just something I can pick up and keep going with.

What stood out to you about the community at the high school?

How helpful people are whenever I don’t know how to do something. No one just sends me to someone else; they always want to help me right away and make sure that I get the answer that I’m looking for.

What is your favorite part about teaching?

I love the fact that every day is different from a desk job where you’re just doing the same paperwork each day or each meeting. I’m always doing a different lesson, working with different problems and different concepts, so no day is the same.

How did your high school experience influence your career?

I loved my biology classes in high school, which inspired me to major in biology. I also really liked being a teacher’s assistant when I was in high school. It motivated me to become a teacher because I really liked working with the middle schoolers and working with math and biology.