LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Greg Bisbee was nominated by two students. The following profile contains text from each nomination.

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"Walking into Mr. Bisbee's biology class the second semester of my sophomore year, I could tell that the room was tense, the people were nervous, and he was excited to work with a new group of students," said one student. "On the first day, we only spent about 15 minutes on the stuff that takes most teachers a whole day to review, and then we started working on our first unit. It was better for me because I had difficulty sitting still and had already gone over three syllabi before that class."
 
"We had a lot of labs in his class. I've had labs in other courses, but not nearly as many as in Bisbee's class," said the student. "I'm a tactical learner (hands-on), so doing all of them helped me understand what was happening. Within the first week, we did our first lab. I was happy that I finally had a teacher that would teach me through the way that I learn best."
 
"We did a parade to learn about DNA, and we did a square dance (where he brought in live chickens, and we wore bandanas) to learn about meiosis. We also did the mitosis disco dance to understand the process. Almost everyone in my class (including me) danced during the test because it was the best way to remember it," said the student.
 
"He gave us a lot of work but enough time to do it. We usually had multiple class times to work on our lab reports and other assignments," said the student. "He gave 'pop' quizzes but always hinted when they would be so we had time to prepare. He wanted to ensure we knew what he was teaching so we weren't confused and understood the material."
 
"I have landscape ecology with him this year. He only tells us if we can use our notes on the day of the test/quiz, which motivates me to study as hard as I possibly can, just in case we can't," said the student. "If we can, it's always a fun challenge to see how much I can do without looking at my notes."
 
"The other day, we had a quiz on which we could use our notes. I had mine out, but he couldn't see them. He excitedly asked me before the class, 'Are you not using notes today?' I replied, 'No, they're on my desk.' But for the rest of the quiz, I tried my best not to use them," said the student.
 
"I am so grateful to have been assigned to his biology class last year because he taught me that hard work pays off and you can do anything if you put your mind to it. So thank you, Mr. Bisbee, for making science fun," said the student.

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"I hated science my freshman year. Walking into a science room with black-topped tables and plastic chairs made me miserable," said another student. "I struggled with mental health and ended up in a hospital halfway through freshman year. On top of that, science was first thing in the morning."
 
"I would avoid looking at my science grade because I simply didn't care. I'd skip the work, rush through things, make up answers, copy other people, you name it," said the student. "I also had a fear of snakes. Mr. Bisbee would hold his snake, Mr. Slithers, out in the hallways. I feared the snake would jump out of his arms and attack me if I looked at it. After a while, I changed my route to avoid seeing it."
 
"In my sophomore year of high school, I had Mr. Bisbee for Biology. I was initially hesitant because there were snakes in his room, and I also hated science," said the student. "As time went on, I realized his teaching style was different. His classroom was a quiet environment, but every now and then, we would get up, act through scripts, and square dance to songs about cells. He even brought his chickens in to dance with us. When we did labs, I understood what I was doing. I felt competent in his class, which was very new to me. I learned that I was intelligent; I just needed to find the right teacher to teach me."
 
"My fear of snakes was still a factor, though. Mr. Bisbee would greet students who entered the door with Mr. Slithers wrapped around his arms," said the student. "He made sure we were comfortable with snakes before offering to let kids hold him. One day, I had a chance to hold the snake, so I did. He made sure I knew how to grab him, making me feel safe knowing how easy snakes were. And soon after, I would hold the snake as much as possible during class. We discovered I scored higher on tests holding a snake than I did without."
 
"By the end of the year, the only thing I would think about was how biology was ending, and that I would never see Mr. Bisbee or Mr. Slithers again," said the student. "Mr. Bisbee introduced me to the other side of science, and I am very grateful for that."
 
"Now, I have my own pet snake at the foot of my bed that I interact with almost daily," said the student. "My main goal in life is to major in biology in college. My dream job is to be a microbiologist in the forensic field. My love for biology paved my life's path, but I couldn't have done it without Mr. Bisbee."