By Sydney Hughes ‘19, Staff Writer
The whoopie pie loving Louisa Morrison is soon to be delivering a baby, but that does not stop her from passionately teaching her honors chemistry students. Although chemistry does not appeal to many, the study enthralls Morrison due to its math based curriculum.
As a child, the North Andover, MA native never thought she would become a science teacher. As she grew older, however, she was influenced to take part in the chemistry world by her father, a sales representative for science companies, who also spent a little time teaching chemistry in London.
It was not until she was 26 years old and studying research at Vanderbilt University graduate school that Morrison discovered her interest in teaching. She said, “I really wasn’t enjoying the research so I thought about why I loved science in the first place. I discovered it was because of all the science tutoring I did when I was younger.”
One of her favorite parts about teaching her chemistry students is watching them realize they are capable of solving the problem or task assigned to them. “Watching them have an idea click in their eyes and seeing them blossom or realizing what they are capable of is the most rewarding part,” Morrison said. “Especially in chemistry, a lot of kids believe it is unapproachable and I like to help them see it’s not as daunting as it seems.”
Despite Morrison not growing up very close to Wellesley, she still knew of the reputation the school held. “The students here are by far my favorite part,” she said. “I feel like everyone comes to class ready to give me their all everyday and it’s amazing!”
Although her father heavily influenced the chemistry loving part of Morrison, she also loves the specific type of science for numerous other reasons. “[Chemistry] involves cool color changes and explosions, but for me it’s more about the problem solving and how there’s more than one way to get to an answer so whatever works best for you,” she said. “It’s also math- based, which I really enjoy.”
Nonetheless, Morrison finds that students often struggle with the content of the subject. “You really need to practice and get into the material, not just look into the textbook, which is one of my favorite parts,” she said.
Another passion Morrison has is traveling, especially to Turkey, a place she visited on her honeymoon. She also delights in reading, specifically during the spring, her favorite season.
Many will miss Morrison when she leaves to deliver her baby in about two months, including Ana Natalia Epstein ‘18. Said Epstein: “Ms. Morrison is a genuine person who is very dependable and organized which are the two most important qualities in a teacher, especially in a more rigorous course. As a result of her ability to engage her students with her passion for chemistry, our class has collectively grown to become fascinated with it ourselves.”