A new biology teacher joined the science department for the 2018 school year.

Nuckley has been teaching for nine years. She  she wanted to be a teacher during her time as a forensic scientist, when a shift in work lead her to work with children.

“I found myself doing more and more outreach with high schools and summer camps, and less and less writing my dissertation! I decided that was a sign that while my passion for biology and forensics was deep, I loved students and teaching even more,” she said.

After subbing as a middle school leave replacement the year earlier,she immediately noticed a difference in the students.

The first thing she noticed is that high school students responsibly return the pencils they borrow. Her list continued,“if a high school kid is in their seat and you turn around to look away and then back again, they are still sitting in their seat!”

Even though she’s taught both age levels, she doesn’t have a favorite group of kids. Nuckley enjoys the middle school and high school kids for different reasons. She likes teaching the high school students because they always come to class ready to learn the complex subjects she’s passionate about

She still holds the younger students close to her heart. “Middle school kids laugh at my dumb jokes. High school kids groan at my dumb jokes,” Nuckley said.

Prior to working in the middle school, she taught for eight years in the suburbs of Minnesota and Washington.  She then moved to New Jersey and spent the last two years as a paraeducator at Coleman.

“What I have found in my years of teaching is that students across the country are so much more similar than they are different. The issues they deal with, the worries they have, their experiences, their influences,” Nuckley said.

One experience that does separate Glen Rock from the other places she’s worked, is the pizza debate. Upon coming here, she immediately realized that in Glen Rock you either like John’s Boys or Francesa’s, there is no in between.

Nuckley likes the high school so far. She likes the vastness of the campus and fields, the science facilities, and the enthusiasm of her students.

She doesn’t like how often she finds herself lost in the building. “I get lost on the daily. This place is like Hogwarts- I swear the stairwells and hallways move when you’re not looking,” Nuckley said.

When it comes to teaching, her motto is “The truly intelligent person doesn’t know all the answers, but knows where to find them.” She follows this motto because as a teacher, she realizes that her job isn’t to cram information into students’ heads. She feels her job is to teach students how the world works by teaching them to discover it themselves.

Her goal for this year  is to help her students reach their goals.

“I want them to have a better understanding of biology, forensics, and anatomy than they did when they started, find confidence and achievement in the sciences, and have fun along the way!” Nuckley said.