Every year, Jesuit welcomes new staff and faculty. I had the pleasure of interviewing Mrs. Bisson, a member of the Science Department and a current biology teacher.
Before Jesuit
Mrs. Bisson is originally from Massachusetts and graduated from the University of Massachusetts before she moved to Texas and got her master’s degree at UNT. Before college, however, she was in the Junior Classical League for Latin competition and on the state board. One of her friends was on the state board for Texas and coincidentally went to Jesuit, which is how she heard about it. Mrs. Bisson then went off for undergrad and studied in Biology and neuroscience. After college, she applied for different jobs in the Northern Texas area as she wanted to be in an area with a warmer climate. Eventually, she reunited with her friend from Jesuit. He clarified for her that Jesuit is actually not in Austin (she just assumed it was) and was actually in Dallas. The stars aligned for her and at that moment, her desires to become a biology teacher and to live somewhere with warmer weather led her to apply to teach at Jesuit.
Professional Background
Mrs. Bisson studied Biology and Neuroscience at University of Massachusetts and UNT. Mrs. Bisson has a passion for life science at heart and this is what led her to become a biology teacher. Mrs. Bisson is also really interested in psychology and the science behind the human mind (more on that later), one of her favorite subcategories of neuroscience. As of right now, Mrs. Bisson loves being a biology teacher to the point where she was sad that she got sick and could not come to school the other day. Mrs. Bisson is observing AP biology classes as well so she can potentially teach higher levels of biology here in the future.
Why Jesuit?
Mrs. Bisson had multiple reasons that influenced her to apply to Jesuit. First, she already wanted to move to an area with warmer weather, so she moved to Northern Texas (because it couldn’t get any hotter down here). Second, her friend on the Texas state board for Junior Classical league went to Jesuit and told her about “this magical school in Texas” (-Mrs. Bisson). Third, her background in biology and neuroscience already set her preferred subject for teaching. As a result, she decided to take a shot at becoming a teacher and flourished here at Jesuit.
Personal Life & Likes
Favorite food
Mrs. Bisson, being Irish, loves baked potato and other classic Irish dishes. However, her favorite soup is Clam chowder.
Pets
Ms. Bisson has a dog named Rocky. He doesn’t like heat and is allergic to humans (a stark contrast to Mrs. Bisson). She also has a cat with her parents in Massachusetts.
Future Destination
Mrs. Bisson would really like to travel to the Scandinavian countries and observe their culture (but only briefly because, as stated before, she prefers the heat).
Three Words to Describe Herself
When asked about three words to describe herself, Mrs. Bisson chose “ambitious,” “compassionate,” and “wanting to learn.” She chose “ambitious” because she is a very big advocate for living in the now and life to the fullest. She chose “compassionate” because she is interested in other people’s feelings and likes to help people who are hurting (this is mostly because of her interest in psychology). Finally, Mrs. Bisson chose “wanting to learn” due to the fact that part of the reason she became a teacher was to not just teach, but also to learn while she’s at it. She learns from her students all the time and says that most teachers “strive to gain knowledge and not just share it,” a very insightful statement that shows how she cares deeply about learning by teaching.
Conclusion
Mrs. Bisson loves Jesuit and looks forward to working here as a science teacher, but also cannot wait to pursue other opportunities here other than just being a biology teacher, as this school serves as a pinnacle for opportunity. When I asked her three words to describe Jesuit, she chose “community,” “tradition,” and “home.” She chose “community” because everyone who is at this school generally wants to be here, “tradition” because this school holds many customs and traditions exclusive to the Jesuit way and the school, and “home” because she feels at home at Jesuit and feels like being a teacher here is not just a job, but much more. Jesuit is something so much greater than a school, it’s a family and a community.
(All photos credit of Mrs. Bission)
Stay tuned to The Roundup for more teacher profiles!
