After three decades of working at Lake Brantley High School, Chemistry teacher David Duffy still shows a strong passion for teaching and learning more about each of his students. With a major in Biology and a minor in Chemistry, Duffy enjoys what he teaches and pushes students to accumulate the same level of knowledge in the subject.

Duffy implements a unique way of teaching into his class by performing more hands-on projects and labs rather than lecturing during the class period. This allows students to get involved in what they are learning about rather than just memorize information for a test.

“[I think] that students remember by doing,” Duffy said. “Not just sitting there and listening to a teacher talk all the time. Labs are definitely my favorite part of the class”

Students look forward to lab days in Duffy’s class as it is an opportunity to learn new things and work with different materials and tools. Each student joins their peers in groups as they perform each step of the lab.

“I enjoy labs the labs because they are entertaining,” sophomore Zoe Brown said. “They are also fun because I get to work with things I’ve never touched before or [allowing me to] see various chemical reactions.”

Many students prefer Duffy’s way of teaching compared to those of other teachers. Students find it easy to ask him questions due to his laidback or humorous attitude. Duffy tries to include as many creative assignments as he can to his curriculum. Students complete anything from word searches and group quizzes to classroom scavenger hunts. These assignments enrich the students’ learning experience whilst still learning about Chemistry.

“The way he teaches, with humor and energy, allows me to further understand the topics,” sophomore Shatner Booker-Lowery said. “I like Mr. Duffy because he explains things to us rather than just giving us assignments. I also enjoy the labs we do in class because they are quick but understandable.”

Besides Chemistry and Biology, Duffy also enjoys nature. He blends both of his interests, science, and nature, through his passion for Marine Biology. He also wears Hawaiian shirts to the classroom almost every day. This adds to both the “fun factor” in the class as well as showing off Duffy’s exciting personality and love for vacationing.

“If I weren’t teaching I would like to study sea turtles,” Duffy said. “My favorite thing to do when I’m not in school is to go around and look at nature or go on vacations.”