The hard work of Christopher Heckel, the chemistry and biology teacher at Hillsdale Academy, has paid off, as he earned his Ph.D. in biological sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. The process of obtaining the degree, which spanned 10 years, included advanced coursework in ecology and evolution, summers of field research, and culminated with a dissertation.
While earning his degree, Heckel began teaching biology and chemistry classes at the academy. He continued working on his research and dissertation throughout the school year.
“Each week I would Skype into the weekly lab meetings that my lab group would have,” Heckel said. “I was at a slower pace, during the school year especially because of work, but year-round I was doing work towards it.”
Over the course of five summers, he gathered data for his thesis, which examined the indirect effects of white-tailed deer on populations of the plant species jack-in-the-pulpit. This involved doing fieldwork in several forests in Pennsylvania, studying deer exclosures through the Smithsonian Institution, and modeling population growth and decline.
Balancing a full-time job, family life with four kids, and a dissertation was difficult, but Heckel’s hard work did not go unnoticed. Academy Head Master Kenneth Calvert noted the incredible amount of work Heckel put in each week.
“I will come in on weekends and work, and some nights I’ll be in here working, and almost every time I was here, Chris Heckel was here working on his dissertation,” Calvert said. “He put in many extra hours working on the weekends and nights.”
Overall, Heckel described the process as hard, but enjoyable.
“It’s a great time in your life when you’re expected to just learn things and read and become an expert in something,” Heckel said. “I really enjoy the fieldwork. Teaching is an aspect that I really enjoyed as well. It’s really fun to interact with kids and share these interesting ideas that come up in biology.”
Heckel represents a very small percentage of teachers who pursue a doctorate degree and teach junior high and high school students. According to The Atlantic, “fewer than one percent of all public elementary and secondary school teachers have Ph.D.s.”
However, Heckel has been able to integrate his expertise into his classroom teaching in many ways. He has been able to include more hands-on labs, and has used his experience with fieldwork to bring classroom concepts to life.
According to Calvert, well-educated teachers such as Heckel are a huge asset to the school community.
“Chris loves the life of the mind, loves chemistry and biology, and he’s an expert in those fields,” Calvert said. “Then, he can take that and communicate it to young people, and get them excited about it. That’s really what you want in a teacher.”
