About
Hi, teacher friends! My name is Rebecca and I am the teacher behind It’s Not Rocket Science. Here is a little bit of my story.
I grew up in Lexington, Kentucky and attended a school for creative and performing arts (called SCAPA) for 9 years from 4th-12th grades. This was a magnet school where I feel like I got the best of both worlds: a true public school education while also experiencing a program that honed my artistic gifts and provided me with some of the most creative teachers in the state. These teachers knew all of their students were artistically-minded and thus they adjusted their curriculum to suit our interests. This gave me a love of school and learning from an early age.
I abandoned my artistic aspirations though when I received a full scholarship to attend Clemson University as a part of their National Scholars Program. I always had a love of science and decided to pursue my dreams of becoming a doctor. But then I became a Christian and the Lord decided to wreck my plans in the best way possible. You can read more about that here.
So I ended up double majoring in Biological Sciences (pre-med) and Secondary Education: Science Teaching. My scholarship also covered two years of graduate school, so I was able to take night classes my first two years of teaching in order to receive my master’s in Teaching and Learning, with an emphasis in science curriculum design. In my “free time” that second year of teaching I took a few courses to become Gifted and Talented certified as well. The first few years of teaching is always like trying to drink out of a fire hose, so I guess I just figured I might as well try to drink out of 9 at the same time.
Since then I have been in a rural public school, a multi-cultural urban public school, and currently a private Christian school, so I like to think that I’ve gotten a little taste of everything. I have taught Biology 1 CP (College-Prep) and Honors, Physical Science CP and Honors, and AP Biology. I realized over the last few years though that one of my favorite things about teaching (besides my crazy high school students of course) was actually designing my curriculum. At my most recent job at a private school I was given the ultimate creative reigns over my classroom and that has led me to starting my Teacher’s Pay Teachers store just over two years ago from the curriculum I’ve designed.
My aim in starting this website is to help other teachers be successful in their classrooms, and to be able to share what I’ve learned over the years (and am continuing to learn!) as well as a few laughs with other teachers who just get what it is like in the trenches of the classroom every day. I hope my words and experiences inspire and motivate you to be a better teacher, but that you also find some strategies here to make your life a little easier because what you are doing matters and you deserve a break (and a Venti latte from Starbucks.)
In March of 2018, my husband and I adopted our first son. In August of 2019, we welcomed home a little girl. It has been a JOY to transition to this new roll as a mama of two and to watch them grow each and every day. I am currently taking a break from teaching in the classroom to be home with my two little ones. This has been such a great blessing in this season, and has allowed me to still have the time (and energy) to continue creating teaching resources and writing.
In short, I love to laugh, snuggle with my black lab Millie, go on adventures with my husband, spend time with babies, get lost in books on my Kindle, binge watch Shonda Rhimes series on Netflix, and shop the sales at Target. But most of all, I love high school students and I love creating resources that engage them in the classroom (while also saving teachers like you time and energy!) I am thankful you found my little site and I am excited to connect with you!
Interested in the legal “about me”? Check out my terms of use, privacy policy, and disclaimer.
Need us via snail mail? You can find us here:
It’s Not Rocket Science, LLC
P.O. Box 7154, Hilton Head Island, SC 29938
