10 Q s with austin blackford Science teacher
Reporting by Grace Gould & Hanna Boughanem
1 2 3
Why did you decide to start teaching? My wife brought it up, but I had never thought of it throughout my entire life, and I thought that it sounded like so much fun. You get 150 students each year who all have their own individual stories, and you get to form relationships with them.
What is your most prized possession? My wedding ring.
You’re known as the teacher who asks a “question of the day.” Where do you find the ideas for your signs? Some of them I just thought of. For most of them I Googled ‘stupid questions,’ and sometimes students will submit the questions on the warm-up.
4 5
What came first: the chicken or the egg? I’m too chicken to answer that.
What’s your favorite daily question from this year? What’s the opposite of a table? It’s silly and there’s not a correct answer.
6
What actor would play you in a movie about your life? It’s kind of a controversial figure, but I’ve had multiple students this year who told me I look like Ben Shapiro.
7
Who has been your biggest inspiration? My high school’s track and cross country coach. He was one of the first teachers I had that was very relatable and made school fun to go to.
8 9 10
If you could dye your hair any color, what would you choose? Frosted tips.
What is your favorite kind of food? I really like tacos. I’m originally from Texas, so I’m used to good Mexican or Tex-Mex food. The disappointing thing about living up here is that you don’t get quite as many of those types of places, especially breakfast tacos.
If you could do anything without consequences, what would you do? I think it would be interesting to take off and run or swim just to see how far I can go. It’s like a video game.
FEBRUARY 2022 | FEATURES | 15
