An Interview with Mr Flint

Q: Who are you?

A: I'm Mr. Flint. I teach chemistry and engineering for Spackenkill. Otherwise, just a science enthusiast, basketball enthusiast…what else do I wanna add…that's about it.

Q: Why did you decide to pursue teaching chemistry?

A: I decided to teach chemistry because I love science and my undergraduate course work was in chemistry. During my undergraduate coursework, I made some extra money by substitute teaching, and I just thought that the blending of those two worlds--the teaching world and the chemistry world--made a lot of sense, and I decided to pursue teaching chemistry. I also really enjoyed helping with the transitioning to college aspect with [high school], because I know that for me that was a difficult time, so it's a great thing to be a part of.

Q: What is your favorite book?

A: I enjoyed Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport. He wrote a book about ways in which to better make use of the technology in your life, because it is overwhelming. I found it interesting, because there's a lot of good research and psychology behind it.

Q: Who is your biggest inspiration?

A: I think my parents. It's unsurprising that I became a teacher because my dad was a coach and my mom was a teacher. In hindsight, it makes a ton of sense that this is what I ended up doing with my life, because I think that they were both really excellent at teaching me things when I was young, and I want to do the same for my kids and other people's kids.

Q: What items are on your bucket list?

A: I really would like to travel more. I've had a few opportunities, but I'd like to make an extended stay at different locations in the world.

Q: If you weren't a teacher, what would you do?

A: If I could go back through school again, I probably would have continued the path of mechanical engineering and done things with construction and architecture.

Q: What is your favorite part of not teaching science research?

A: My favorite part of not teaching science research is being able to be a part of it without the full time commitment that Mrs. Maloney and Mrs. Upright have. I get to see a lot of the great work that you guys do, without being responsible for making sure that you're getting all your work done. I get to contribute and feel like I'm getting involved without doing all the work involved.

Q: What is your proudest accomplishment in life?

A: The easy answer is the birth of my child, [which] totally changes your outlook on life, and it's just the greatest. I've always wanted to be a dad, and 

I'm very proud of overcoming some of the setbacks I've had in my 20s when I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do. Figuring out what I wanted to do and doing it is something I'm very proud of.

Q: What are some of your favorite bands?

A: My favorite bands are Radiohead, I like The White Stripes, I like The Killers.

Q: What is your favorite element?

A: I really like Tungsten, just because its symbol doesn't match its name. It's an underrated element, an underrated metal. I don't know why, the W just speaks to me.