Mr. Handel Teacher Feature

Who knew becoming a teacher by accident would result in 19 years teaching physics at Millennium?! Mr. Handel didn’t have a clue what to do after undergrad but later pursued his hidden passion for teaching after participating in the “Teach for America” program that recruited young people to be teachers. With that, Mr. Handel became the teacher we know and love, teaching a majority of us physics at Millennium. Why choose physics you might ask? Mr. Handel has had an appreciation for science since  he was young. His family frequently discussed science topics and he visited hands-on science museums. He says: “Physics made me appreciate how everything can be simplified by rules.” He hopes that from his physics class students are able to apply the subject to their everyday lives!

Before he became a teacher, Handel was a student as well! Back in the “olden days,” Handel applied to three colleges and eventually attended the University of Michigan. He loved the diverse opportunities and talent people had at the big university. Originally, he was thinking about going into engineering, but with the help of his physics professor, his whole experience changed! He even went abroad to work for his professor over the summer abroad in Italy for research!

Outside of his teaching career, he enjoys flying his glider aircraft, playing with his dog Benson (he got her a year ago), reading Scientific American, and exploring restaurants in New York with his wife Lily!

When asked if he had words of encouragement for anyone in any grade level, he  said: “any real journey will have discomfort and missteps at times, but if you stay focused and have an open mind it will all be more than helpful.”