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In college, students often hit many redirections before deciding on a path that is chemically aligned with their values and passions. For Troup High School’s Bridget Smith, that redirection came from teaching principals of biology as a graduate assistant at Columbus State University.

“I had a graduate assistantship where it required me to teach principles of biology labs. During the labs, I realized I liked the teaching part, more so than the laboratory part,” Smith said. “I liked mentoring students — I had several working under me in the lab and realized I liked teaching.”

For her passion of making science fun and relatable to students, Smith was chosen as one of Troup High’s teachers of the year.

Smith said teaching science allows her the opportunity to teach high schoolers just how much it is applicable to everyday life. 

“I can show them the importance of it by connecting their lives, which I think is really important with learning,” Smith said. 

“To me, science is fun and hands-on. That inquiry setting where students get to be the primary learners and are doing more of the thinking, rather than the teacher.”

Smith said the most fulling part of teaching is watching her students’ progress and building relationships with them. 

“When you get students who are struggling learners, to watch them understand concepts and watch them progress is very rewarding,” Smith said. “The relationships are rewarding and knowing that you’re preparing them to be successful adults has been rewarding.” 

If Smith wasn’t teaching, she said she would probably be doing work as a researcher. 

“I had my past research published last year in the Georgia Journal of Science on the protective effects of estrogens in different environments,” Smith said. “I liked the inquiry research part of it and would probably be doing that since I have a background in it.” 

When Smith isn’t teaching, she likes to exercise or enjoy the great outdoors with her fiancé Jordan Morrison and her two children — Jack and Jet. 

Smith said teaching a THS has allowed her to learn a lot from her college and grow professionally. 

“Professionally, I think it has increased my abilities to know how to differentiate content with a diverse number of learners that we have here, and I think it has grown me as an educator too,” Smith said.