STAFF PROFILE: Whittall aims to create an engaging learning environment
PHOTO: Jean-Paul Whittall enjoys teaching physics at Davis High.
By Alex Miyamoto,
BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–
Jean Paul-Whittall feels that teaching physics at Davis High is more of a hobby than a job for him. Whittall’s passion for physics has been apparent since he was in high school.
“I loved being able to teach people what I had learned that day,” Whittall said.
Whittall acquired his bachelor’s degree from California State University, Long Beach and his teaching credentials from California State University, Sacramento. He has been teaching at DHS since graduating from CSU Sacramento. The 2020-21 school year is his fifth year teaching.
The same eagerness to share his passion for physics, stemming from high school, transfers to his classroom today. Whittall tries to create an exciting environment where students are encouraged to make observations and create their own original ideas.
“He tries to create a very hands-on environment and puts in an effort to make sure we understand everything that we are learning,” senior Joshua Faith said.
The environment that Whittall strives for, however, is impacted immensely by distance learning.
“The competition for attention is a huge struggle,” Whittall said. “There’s constant conflict with people easily getting distracted and off-task.”
Despite the change that distance learning has created, Whittall described his job as “worth it.”
“There was never a day I dreaded going into class,” Faith said.
Faith appreciated Whittall’s great sense of humor.
During Whittall’s first year at DHS a student asked him when his birthday was. He refused to give them the correct date. This started a quest among his students to find the right day, doing so by saying in unison, “Happy birthday, Mr. Whittall,” every day before class.
This small joke snowballed into a larger hunt to discover Whittall’s birthday. Siblings and friends of the students who started the joke would say “happy birthday” to Whittall in the halls and at random times.
“The joke survived for years, and I feel like the joke will never completely go away,” Whittall said.
These friendly interactions with his students represent Whittall’s friendliness and compassion towards his students.
“I love what I do,” Whittall said.
