Born and raised in Sarasota, it wasn’t too long after college graduation that new science teacher Dr. Dylan Bell decided to move back home for a career in teaching. As an earth and space science teacher for sixth-graders and a Astrononomy Honors teacher for high school students, Bell is in his seventh year of teaching, excited to share his enthusiasm for space science and learning throughout Pine View’s campus.
After graduating from Riverview High School in 2008, Bell attended undergraduate school at the University of Florida to study astronomy and physics, and later graduated from Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) with a phD in space sciences. His teaching career began at FIT, where he taught Physics I and II for six years while studying for his phD.
“I taught physics to [college] freshmen and sophomores throughout graduate school, but decided to come back here to teach once I finished,” Bell said. “My family and friends all live in Sarasota, so it’s hard to move away for an extended period of time and not be able to come back.”
When asked why he decided to begin teaching middle school students rather than college students, Bell explained the satisfaction he receives when his students grasp the material he’s covering in class. “In college, most of my students had already seen most of the stuff I was teaching. Here, I’m teaching the fundamentals so I get to see the light bulb go off over their heads when they finally understand.”
As Bell adjusts to his new job, he hopes to continue helping students learn to enjoy sciences while he himself learns more about Pine View. In regards to the time he has experienced at Pine View so far, Bell said, “It’s been great, I really did not expect all my students to be so bright. Coming into here, I expected to have to teach much much more in depth on certain subject areas and that’s not the case at all. Also, the teachers here are phenomenal. I’ve never been in an area where other colleagues are willing to help so much.”
When asked if there was anything about himself that he’d like his students to know about him, Bell explained that he is a “nerd” when it comes to space science and enjoys playing video games. When asked to describe his personality, he said, “As long as [my students] get their work done, I’m a pretty laid back person.”
Fellow science teacher and Bell’s current teacher mentor Hali Flahaven said, “I think Dr. Bell is a perfect fit for Pine View. He is smart, has the enthusiasm and really enjoys what he is doing.”