This year, Oakdale High School welcomes Dr. Melissa Chang as the new Chemistry teacher. Chang has taught different levels of education for twenty years.

Chang took an empty chemistry teacher position. She took it immediately due to Oakdale’s great foundation of teachers.

Her experience for her first year has been great so far. When asked about the decision to come to Oakdale, she said, “I’ve known the Oakdale School for a long time. I had two daughters who went here, so I know it’s a really great school.”

Chang possesses a passion for chemistry, which she shares with her students. Chang views teaching as a difficult career, due the challenge that comes with making sure all of her students are able to learn everything she teaches. This is a career where the benefits outweigh the difficulties.

Chang’s interest in Chemistry stems from her math skills in high school, and her goal to incorporate it within other subjects. Dr. Chang describes her own experience with chemistry classes: “I started taking chemistry classes and in college I realized I just loved chemistry. It was a natural fit for me, and I knew that I was going to teach chemistry.” Dr. Chang’s love for Chemistry extends into her lessons as well, with plenty of labs that keep students engaged.

Chang prides herself on her ability to bond with all of her students, and make sure they understand her teachings. One of Chang’s views on the difficulties of teaching is: “You want to reach every student, and you try really hard so that everybody knows chemistry”.

Her teaching style utilizes a mix of interactive activities such as labs, group assignments, and building test subjects. Sophomore at Oakdale, Jason Roberts, commented on a typical day in her class: “It’s usually pretty interactive because we do a lot of labs, which is very nice. It’s great for my learning style.”

Roberts views Chang’s way of teaching as a positive and expressive method. It allows students to get support while also learning a lot from the class.

Chang is following her passion for Chemistry and is now able to share it with students at Oakdale High School. Her interactive lessons have already solidified her effectiveness of teaching the material so far, and she only has more lessons to come.