Professor Zachary Roth has been teaching at a college level for the last nine years. Over the course of his years at Jones, he has become increasingly popular with the student body.
Entering his classroom, it is easy to see why Roth’s classes are so captivating. Plastered across the walls, there are various drawings, collectables and decorations ranging from Harry Potter to medieval dragons.
“I’m pretty sure my jaw hit the floor as I walked into Professor Roth’s classroom,” said Abby Brewer, a student who previously had Professor Roth. “I couldn’t help but to think, “what did I get myself into?”
Roth studied at USM and originally majored in the musical arts. “I didn’t want to be a teacher,” he said. “I saw, on my end, how much work they had to do, and I didn’t wanna do it!”
After several years of studying music, he came to the conclusion that it wasn’t for him.
Roth ultimately obtained his bachelor’s degree in Biological Science, and his Master’s in Environmental Biology, though his passion for music never left him.
A major influence on Roth’s life, in fact, happens to be his own high school band director.
“She was very dynamic. She always laughed a lot. She was stern, but she didn’t fit the mold like my other teachers,” he said.
As a child, Roth also had a science teacher who was highly influential to the person he is today.
“He was just exceptional. He was really nerdy, very unorthodox in his approach to things, he was highly intelligent and he made it fun,” said Roth. “I had other teachers who were just as boring as all get-out, and I didn’t learn from their class.”
Roth said, “Having teachers who stood out in music and science is what made music and science stand out to me.”
He emulates this same idea through his work here at Jones, inspiring dozens of students to pursue careers in science.
Over the course of his professional career, Roth has had many encounters with students and faculty who adore his nontraditional methods of teaching biology. Students favor Roth’s “study sessions” which he holds before all of his exams.
“The most memorable part of his class would be the first study session we had! It was so fun and greatly helped me prepare for his test!” said Bri Williams, a prior student of Roth’s.
“You can learn a lot more in play than you would from doing other things. So when I set out to do the study sessions, I was just thinking “let’s take a break from the monotony of rigorous learning,” Roth said.
The study sessions have been extremely successful in encouraging students to be interested in what may seem like an otherwise boring topic. The study sessions involve a Harry Potter-themed game which utilizes mechanics inspired by Magic The Gathering.
Roth explains that competition is relevant to the college experience, and that most students are easily motivated by competition, which encourages them to study and ultimately take more away from the class.
During Roth’s first year at Jones, he had a class of students who shared a special bond. Roth said, “They asked great questions. These were students from all different backgrounds, but we all blended together nicely. It was fun.
“At the end of the semester, they threw me a surprise party. As teachers, we don’t often get a sense of the impact we have on students until many years later. The party was confirmation, in a sense, that I had made an impact,” said Roth.
Leah Englett, a student previously taught by Roth, said, “There was never a boring moment in his class. He always kept my attention, and he taught in a way that made me want to learn!”
Since the beginning of his professional career, Roth has always stuck by his unconventional teaching methods.
“I’ve never tried to be normal. I’ve always tried to be true to myself, because the teachers who made the biggest impact on me were honest, open teachers, and not the more mechanical ones,” he said.
“Professor Roth always had a funny story or analogy that was parallel with his teaching. He managed to keep me interested in boring topics!” said Brewer.
“My goal with lectures is, of course, to get the information across, but also to do it in a way that is interesting or relatable,” Roth said.
“Mr. Roth’s teaching style is an extension of himself – fun, immersive, and unabashedly true to his personality,” said Eric Shows, the Dean of Science and Engineering. “He is passionate about his subject matter, especially zoology, and students sense and respond to that really well.”
Roth shared a story from one of his previous institutions. His employer once said to him, “Zach, you think so far out of the box that you don’t even realize there’s a box to think in!”
Roth said, “I think that sums it up perfectly. I had never realized before that my approach to problem solving…that there’s a norm to it, and that I’m not in that. Yeah, I do my own thing, I do things differently, but that difference is what captures the students.”
by Gabriella Dominguez