Teacher Brings Element of Ease to Chemistry

Rhonda McCarthy was once a chemist who had given up on her dream of becoming a chemistry teacher because she didn't think she would be very good at it.

"I was afraid I would be the teacher who made students not like science, so I steered clear," she said.

Yet colleagues at the corporate laboratory where she was a quality control manager frequently praised her ability to help them understand tricky material, she said. After more than six years as a chemist in the private sector, she decided to try teaching after all.

Next month, the woman who thought she wouldn't make a good teacher will be honored by The Washington Post with the 2007 Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award for St. Mary's County.

McCarthy, who teaches at Leonardtown High School, said the trick to teaching a notoriously difficult subject such as chemistry is to take the emphasis off memorization in favor of critical thinking. If students have time to process information and use logic, they will be able to solve problems effectively, she said.

"I think students are very comfortable telling me they don't understand," said McCarthy, who has been teaching for eight years. "They know that I'm a very patient person and I won't pressure them to give an immediate answer."

Her approach has helped hundreds of students succeed, said administrators, students and parents who have worked with her. In a letter to the nominating committee for the award, parent Sharmila Mehta said she was moved by McCarthy's dedication to help her son, who was struggling in chemistry class. McCarthy agreed to meet with the student after school, and soon he was excelling in the subject.

"She found time for my son, and the next year he received a five on the AP Chemistry exam," Mehta wrote. Five is the highest score on the Advanced Placement chemistry exam. "The steps my son took to reach Harvard University were lit by her kindness and carved by her dedication as a teacher," Mehta wrote.

McCarthy's efforts to encourage students' success in science are not limited to her class, several colleagues said. She volunteers to tutor any student who needs help, supervises a peer-tutoring program started by a former student, and coordinates entries to local and state science fairs.

"It's very difficult in a 43-minute class period to get a lot of one-on-one time with students, so I try to make myself available during my planning period, during lunch and after school," she said.

Next year, McCarthy will leave Leonardtown High for the county's new Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Academy at Great Mills High School. The program will give highly qualified students the chance to work on individual research topics at school and at the nearby Patuxent Naval Air Station.

"Since I have the private sector experience, I know that at Pax River we have enormous opportunities for research and mentorships," she said. "It was a huge decision to leave Leonardtown, but I felt like I was a perfect match."