Physics teacher Christopher Tipper attended Swarthmore College for undergraduate school and attended Tufts University to get his PhD. He lives at home with his partner and two children and enjoys gardening and mushroom-picking in his free time. He’s passionate about giving his students the best experience possible and is devoted to getting kids interested in the sciences.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Did you major in science?

My dad is a scientist, and he had a lab. So I grew up around science, and what that meant, though, is that I didn’t really want to be a scientist. I was okay with chemistry and physics and things like that in high school, but when I went to college, I thought for sure I would be majoring in something else. Then it turned out that I really liked the biology course. So I am a biology major. I have a master’s in microbiology, and I have a PhD in molecular biology and microbiology.

When did you start teaching?

I went to a small eastern liberal arts college and I really loved it. I loved knowing my teachers firsthand, I loved the excitement of going and talking and being a student and learning. And I wanted that atmosphere in my entire life, so I set out to be a teacher.

What do you hope for yourself as a new teacher?

Teaching is a passion and of course it’s a job, so we all get paid to be here. But teaching is also a craft, it’s a skill. And you can develop it, you can get better day by day, year by year. I am already telling my students, “I am sorry today was not good; tomorrow I am going to do better.” I want to get better, and I hope that me getting better would mean that the students would be having a better time as well.

What were some highlights of your summer?

We spent two weeks on a lake in upstate New York with me, my family and some others. This was the last summer that both of my children were there, and they are now both in college. So the highlight of the summer was getting to spend time with family before both of my kids left home.

What are some of your hobbies?

I like to garden, so summertime is usually spent outside in the garden. I am a bit of a handyman, so I have a woodshop in my basement. I make shelves, tables and chairs, I do some plumbing [and] some electrical work.