Bayside's Joyful Science Teacher

BY COLT HANCOCK '26, Staff Reporter

Mrs. Elizabeth Peters, Bayside’s ninth grade biology and eleventh and twelfth grade environmental science teacher, is loved for her energetic spirit and boundless energy. When asked how she is so happy and energetic even at the end of long days, Mrs. Peters said, “being happy is my favorite; smiling is my favorite… there are so many people in this world who have not been given as much… I just feel like it's a really big waste of time to be negative. ”

When asked if she has always wanted to be a teacher, she shared, “That was never an aspiration. I wanted, and I still want to be, a National Geographic photographer and go to some… amazing places. ” Before going to college, she thought she would go into medicine as her mother did. She eventually realized this was not what she wanted to do and ended up getting her undergraduate degree in cello performance before going into public health with a concentration in epidemiology and international health and global studies. This led her to spend six months in Uganda, where she taught nursing students and volunteered at a local music school, teaching local boys how to play the cello.

It didn’t click with her that she wanted to be a teacher until she came back to the US and secured a spot on a substitute teacher list. She would eventually complete a master’s degree in education. Mrs. Peters first taught at Advent Episcopal School in Birmingham. Prior to that, she taught in community education in Jamaica. “I was working with vulnerable groups of individuals susceptible to infectious diseases (such as HIV) and educating them on how to reduce transmission. ”

Mrs. Peters says that science is,

“the king of all subjects... because it combines skills from all disciplines. You have to be good at math… communicating your ideas… analyzing data and interpreting abstract ideas through models which are often artistic in nature, and you have to enjoy reading. ”

Mrs. Peters works tirelessly to prepare lessons and labs for her classes. Once, she poured 52 different cups of liquid for a ninth grade biology lab. “I hate doing that. But... it's worth it if everybody gets to experience something. ” She shared that she loves to teach 9th grade “because it is challenging enough to where it's interesting… We're always learning something new, so it's never boring to me because literally every day we're discovering something that I can use in the classroom. And I love freshmen because they are bananas. ”

Mrs. Peters shared that she looks up to primatologist and anthropologist Jane Goodall. "Jane Goodall is probably the end all be all… She defied a lot of expectations about women for her time. ”

We are grateful for Mrs. Peters and the impact she has made on the Bayside community.

Mrs. Peters poses with paper DNA strands. [C. Hancock]