This summer, as the school year approached, my older sister and I looked over our schedules and teachers as we do each year. My sister told me all about the teachers I had, and who she liked and whose class was the most fun. Then we noticed I had new science teacher, Kendra Marchant.

I hate getting new teachers, because I can’t get the inside scoop on them from anyone. I had no idea what to expect when I logged on to my first Zoom Biology class. I was scared that Ms. Marchant would be a strict old teacher who did not like children. But she was super friendly and cheerful, and I could tell from the start that she loves to teach.

She makes class interesting by incorporating fun activities. Even though class is online and we are not able to do full scientific experiments at home, Marchant engages us by showing demonstrations that are like magic. The other day in class, she made an egg swell up by simply putting it in water.

I interviewed Ms. Marchant, and learned she first discovered her liking for science in 11th grade.

“My one science teacher was awesome,” she says. “He made [science] super engaging and fun and it made me like the subject.”

Then, she found her knack for teaching when she became a peer tutor. She loved explaining concepts to people and watching them start to understand.

She is from Toronto, and moved to Baltimore in August. It was a huge risk, because, in addition to moving during a pandemic, Marchant had only visited Baltimore twice before moving. She says she was a little nervous, because “there’s some negative perceptions about the city” – especially from the TV show The Wire.

Also, there’s the uncertainty.

“My family and my spouse’s family are all in Toronto,” she says. “We used to see them very frequently.” Now they’re not sure when they will be able to see each other again.

Despite these challenges, Marchant is keeping a positive attitude, and is trying to get to know Baltimore and her new colleagues better. Though it has been hard to meet people during the pandemic, she says she appreciates how kind the Friends community has been.