Pop Quiz turns the table on teachers and asks them to respond to 11 quick questions.
Isaiah Coleman
Science Teacher, Head Track & Field Coach, Summer School Director
Isaiah Coleman, III, was born and raised in Wharton, Texas. After graduating from Wharton High School, he moved to Houston to attend Rice University. While at Rice, Isaiah played football, ran track, and was active in the Black Students Association (BSA) and the Orientation Week (O-Week) Diversity Panel. After graduating from Rice with his bachelor's in sports medicine, Isaiah began his teaching career at Episcopal in the fall of 2005. He currently teaches anatomy and physiology, and freshman biology. Isaiah has also taught chemistry and religion class during summer school. In addition to those roles, he has served on multiple committees, councils, and coached football. Isaiah is currently serving as the director of summer school, head track & field coach, and has been recently appointed to serve as the assistant grade level dean for 10th grade. Isaiah and his wife, Alexandra, have been happily married for 4 years.
What's on your playlist?
My playlist includes everything from jazz, classical, to hip hop. My favorite artists include Michael Jackson and Prince. Every morning on the way to work, I listen to "Brother's Keeper" by India Arie and "Optimistic" by Sounds of Blackness.
What was the first concert you attended?
The first concert I attended was an MC Hammer concert back in the early 1990s at the Summit. The Summit at that time was home to the Houston Rockets and is now home to Lakewood Church.
If you weren't a teacher, what would you pick for a career?
I would be an orthopedic surgeon, a sports medicine doctor, or an emergency room physician. In my spare time, I would be an anatomy professor at the collegiate level or medical school.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
My proudest accomplishment is being able to work with young people every day in the academic and athletic arenas, where I help them through challenging times, and share in their successes.
Do you have a favorite app or tech gadget?
Anything Apple.
Did you have a mentor growing up who inspired your career?
My parents were/are my mentors. They showed and continue to show me that hard work pays off.
If you could travel back in time, what period of history would you choose?
I would travel back to any time before the 1500s to see how my ancestors lived in Cameroon and Congo.
What do you most respect about your colleagues?
I respect my colleagues' ability to transition between their different roles in our community. They do so with grace and give the very best they have to our students each and every day.
What do you most respect about your students?
I respect my students' ability to navigate life during this day and age of social media, peer pressure, and societal expectations all while being the best students they can be.
Read any good books recently?
"Atomic Habits" by James Clear.
If you could eat only one meal this week, what would it be?
I would love an evening at Fogo de Chao.
Katherine Weigand
Math Teacher, SOS Co-Director, Theater Co-Producer
Katherine Weigand has been at EHS for 10 years as a math teacher, advisor, theater co-producer, and a co-director for Students of Service. A native Houstonian, she graduated from St. John's High School before going to Williams College in northwestern Massachusetts. At Williams, she earned a B.A. in mathematics and a B.A. in biology. She and her husband, Graham, have been married for two years.
What's on your playlist?
I like playing upbeat pop music, especially when driving so I can sing along.
What was the first concert you attended?
NSYNC in seventh grade.
If you weren't a teacher, what would you pick for a career?
If I weren't a teacher, I would have liked to be an epidemiologist.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
I love when students who have struggled with a concept come to tutorials and then have that lightbulb moment when they understand. I am so proud to teach these talented, conscientious students and guide them toward their own accomplishments.
Do you have a favorite app or tech gadget?
Apple TV – not only does it help me stream movies and TV shows at home, but we also use it in the classroom to connect our iPads!
Did you have a mentor growing up who inspired your career?
I have had a series of amazing teachers that guided me, particularly Professor Adams from Williams, who led my REU in knot theory research. I am also so thankful to have my parents who instilled a sense of curiosity and love of learning that has greatly inspired me as a teacher.
If you could travel back in time, what period of history would you choose?
I would love to travel to early 19th century England because I love all of Jane Austen novels! However, I would also want modern medicine...
What do you most respect about your colleagues?
They are dedicated, enthusiastic, and always wanting to help.
What do you most respect about your students?
Their ability to juggle all of their activities and schoolwork!
Read any good books recently?
Lately I have revisited a collection of short stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I love his writing style, but it is also nice to be able to finish a story before I fall asleep!
If you could eat only one meal this week, what would it be?
Doesn't matter -- as long as it ends in a dessert!
Alex Ayris, Ph.D.
Religion Teacher and Honor Council Chair
Originally from central Florida, Alex has also lived in Alabama, Tennessee (twice), and now Texas. He is married to Ashley and they have two small children, Haddon and Kennedy. He is in his second year as a Religion teacher at EHS, teaching freshman Old Testament and senior Ethics. He was a baseball coach last year and currently serves as the Faculty Chair of the Honor Council and a co-chair of the Advisory Program.
What's on your playlist?
Right now, I've been listening to a lot of The Dead Tongues, Beta Radio, and Frightened Rabbit.
What was the first concert you attended?
I don't know if this counts, but when I was in elementary school we all were taken to see Lee Greenwood perform.
If you weren't a teacher, what would you pick for a career?
Hard to say, but probably something that allowed me to be outside a lot. Or maybe working in a museum.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
I know it's cliché, but my family. Love them to death.
Do you have a favorite app or tech gadget?
Not especially, although I am grateful for audiobooks and podcasts. I also enjoy using Trello and Wunderlist to keep myself organized (lame, I know). I try to make a point of keeping the tech in my life contained.
Did you have a mentor growing up who inspired your career?
I've had a lot of teachers over the years who modeled for me both the joy of learning and intellectual humility. Because of them, I believe that education is not the transmission of information as much as it is an unpredictable journey...you never know where you'll end up.
If you could travel back in time, what period of history would you choose?
Probably the Reformation era. There was a lot of craziness I'd try to avoid, but I'd love to sit down and have a conversation with Martin Luther (through a translator, I suppose).
What do you most respect about your colleagues?
The combination of professionalism, competence, and fun personalities. EHS teachers bring a lot to the table.
What do you most respect about your students?
The EHS student body really is a combination of students who excel in an extraordinarily wide variety of things. It's a lot of fun to teach kids with such diverse interests and talents.
Read any good books recently?
I use my commute to listen to audiobooks, and I recently re-listened to Jon Ronson's "The Psychopath Test," which is one of my all-time favorites. I'm currently making my way (very slowly) through John Gray's "The Silence of Animals."
If you could eat only one meal this week, what would it be?
If it's just one meal, a steak, crab cakes, scalloped potatoes, and cheesecake from Pappas Bros. If it's only one meal but for every meal in the week, probably tacos. You can fix them up in a way that works for any time of day.