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Discovering a new element. Formulating a groundbreaking theory. Becoming a world-renowned professor. While these may be the exciting fantasies of most science teachers, new chemistry teacher Daniel Quach aspires to radically different goals. “I want to open my own fried chicken restaurant,” he said. “I’d call it Mother Cluckers.”
Quach’s quirky sense of humor is not limited to his culinary aspirations. He also expresses his sense of humor in the classroom by naming class worksheets with cute monikers. “Hopefully a funny name would make the worksheet sound more interesting,” Quach explained.
Students’ favorites include “Making Sense,” a worksheet on the chemical properties of smells and “I’ve Got My Ion You,” one about the characteristics of charged atoms. One of Quach’s students, sophomore Paulina Svensson, said she believes the quirky worksheet titles are a fun way to alleviate stress. “I think it takes the pressure off the hard work,” Svensson said.
Creative worksheet nomenclature is just one of the many ways Quach is able to express his sense of humor. “If times are rough, I think just laughing and making other people laugh is better than not,” he said. Quach also practices this mantra through his taste in television. “I like The Office because it’s similar to my type of humor, that sarcastic, over the top stuff.” Quach especially enjoys the show’s ditzy customer service representative. “My favorite character would have to be Kelly Kapoor,” he said. “She’s hilarious!”
Even though Quach may describe himself as “easy-going,” he is still serious about his career. Quach studied biomedical engineering at University of Southern California and received his teaching credential at San Francisco State University. Early in his career, Quach landed a 3-year teaching position at Thurgood Marshall High School.
Quach said he enjoys teaching students at Lowell because the school is conducive of a positive learning atmosphere for both students and teachers. “I think Lowell allows teachers to teach and students to learn because of its academic environment,” Quach said. “It has challenged me to improve on my teaching because the students here expect a lot.”
By explaining complicated concepts such as electro-negativity and polyatomic ions with interesting examples from real life, Quach enhances the excitement of chemistry for students and himself, sometimes with literally explosive results. “My most memorable teaching moment was the time one of my students set me on fire,” he said. “We made a fireball out of some chemicals and were tossing it back and forth, when it got on my shirt and suddenly caught on fire. I still have that shirt,” Quach added with a nostalgic chuckle.
Quach’s many passions and interests are not limited to actively engaging his students. He also pursues music avidly, and has been to copious amount of concerts. “I have seen everything from Kelly Clarkson to Nine Inch Nails,” Quach said. “There was even a time in high school when I was into country music. But not anymore.”
Quach not only possesses a hip taste in music — he also sports a trendy style. Students can catch him walking the halls of Lowell in a chic V-neck sweater and a fashion-forward Ben Sherman messenger bag. “I wear pretty teacher-friendly clothes,” Quach said modestly, explaining that this consists of comfortable clothes and useful accessories, including a handy-dandy pocket periodic table and innovative calculator watch. Sophomore Jasmin Soltani had a straightforward opinion of Quach’s style. “He looks best in argyle,” she said.
Quach’s fresh attitude will serve him well for his many aspirations for his future. “I want to work with UPS,” he said, tongue-in-cheek. “It’s like being Santa Claus every day.”
However, not all of Quach’s dreams are comical. He also stressed the importance of leaving a lasting impression on his students. “My goal is for my students to leave my class with a good experience,” he said. “When they look back in 10 years, I want them to have had fun in chem.” |
