About ME
Welcome to my website, my name is Derek Smith and the 2019-2020 school year will be my 10th year in education. I graduated from the University of Missouri-Saint Louis with my B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Biology. Basically, I took every class they offered about the brain and behavior. Before deciding on education, I thought I wanted to be a neuroscientist. I worked at Washington University School of Medicine in Saint Louis for three years. The neuroscience lab examined the toxic effects that certain chemicals have on the developing brain. After learning a lot and rubbing elbows with some really smart people, I decided that although the research was fascinating, I found that grant writing and research was not the career I wanted. Then I became a coach and a science teacher at Jefferson R-7 High School. I have taught the following courses: Biology, Honor's Biology, Anatomy and Physiology, Chemistry, and Environmental Science. I was a varsity football coach for three years where I coached defensive backs and running backs.
My wife and I moved to Lexington Kentucky so Sarah could attend graduate school at the University of Kentucky. While in Lexington, I worked at Lexington Catholic High School, and witnessed a great staff and great students. My second year at Lexington Catholic I was a defensive back coach for the football team that made it to the state semifinals. This will be my fifth year teaching physics at CEC Early College in Denver, Colorado.
When I'm not teaching or lesson planning what do I do? I am a rugby enthusiast; I have been playing for about 12 years. I first played for a rugby club in Saint Louis and now I currenlty play for the Denver Highlanders. On the summer of 2014 I went to Mexico to play with my old club from St. Louis! When I am not playing rugby, you can catch me hiking and camping, My wife, Sarah, and I love to travel and we travel as much as our budget allows. Check out the pictures above!
My wife and I moved to Lexington Kentucky so Sarah could attend graduate school at the University of Kentucky. While in Lexington, I worked at Lexington Catholic High School, and witnessed a great staff and great students. My second year at Lexington Catholic I was a defensive back coach for the football team that made it to the state semifinals. This will be my fifth year teaching physics at CEC Early College in Denver, Colorado.
When I'm not teaching or lesson planning what do I do? I am a rugby enthusiast; I have been playing for about 12 years. I first played for a rugby club in Saint Louis and now I currenlty play for the Denver Highlanders. On the summer of 2014 I went to Mexico to play with my old club from St. Louis! When I am not playing rugby, you can catch me hiking and camping, My wife, Sarah, and I love to travel and we travel as much as our budget allows. Check out the pictures above!
