Educator Of The Month: Rachel Hansen

Education is a big part of Rachel Hansen’s life, but she didn’t plan to become a teacher when she graduated from college with a degree in chemistry. While she enjoyed student teaching in college, her goal was to do something related to chemistry. It wasn’t until she started homeschooling her children that she became more interested in teaching.

“I had a vested interest in my own children getting a good education,” Hansen said.

The Hansens began homeschooling their kids after meeting another family of homeschoolers who inspired them to give it a try. Hansen has taught at Cornerstone Tutorial, a nondenominational Christian cooperative homeschool tutorial, for the past eight years.

Once a week, homeschooled students come together for classes and labs, giving them a more structured classroom experience and a chance to see friends on a regular basis. This year, Hansen will teach chemistry, general science for middle-schoolers, and environmental science, a new class for Hansen.

“Every teacher gets the question of, ‘When will I use this in my life?’” Hansen said. “And I realize they probably won’t use chemistry in particular, but what they will use is an understanding and appreciation for the world around them. That’s why I like chemistry.”

Hansen, a mother of four, started at Cornerstone in part for the sake of her own children. Two of her kids have taken her chemistry class, while the other two aren’t yet old enough.

Over time, the number of students Hansen teaches has grown. This year, she expects to teach around 60 students. “It’s not just work that needs to be done because my kids need the classes, but I really like it,” Hansen said. “That’s been a happy surprise.”

Hansen has recently become more involved in Cornerstone even outside of her classroom. Last year, her daughter grew interested in starting a newsletter for the homeschool tutorial, and Hansen took on the task of being the advisor for it. Hansen has recruited students to work on the newsletter, and she helps the students come up with topics to write about.

Hansen spends half of her class time reviewing the material with her students and the other half on a lab or activity. While she’s always enjoyed science, one of her favorite parts of teaching is getting to see it click for the students who might be more hesitant about chemistry.

“It’s really rewarding when they start to engage in class and answer questions and participate and even smile,” Hansen said.

Hansen’s teaching experience has expanded outside of Cornerstone. In addition to teaching at the homeschool tutorial, she’s involved in teaching Sunday school classes at her church. Last year, she also started teaching at Arise Christian Academy in Laurel.

“Learning how to engage with students is something I’ve had to grow in and hopefully I’m still growing in,” Hansen said. “I’m learning how to connect with them and how to make it useful and practical in their life. That goes for chemistry or any subject.”

Growing up in rural Michigan meant that Hansen’s childhood was full of opportunities to be in nature, which helped spark her interest in chemistry and the way the world works. Hansen hopes to give students who grew up in Severna Park and its surrounding areas the chance to gain appreciation for those things even while living in the suburbs. One of her goals as a teacher is to make chemistry useful to her students, even if they won’t be majoring in chemistry in college.

“It’s been a surprising joy in my life,” Hansen said. “I didn’t really realize how much I would like teaching.”

Do you know other great educators? Nominate them today by emailing spvnews@severnaparkvoice.com.

The Educator of the Month is sponsored by Cafe Mezzanotte.