Living for the ‘light bulb moments’: Jonathan Sivel in new biology teaching role

Jonathan Sivel, a long-time paraeducator, has a new part of his job at ARHS: teaching tenth-grade Biology B and C periods. He also remains a paraeducator for a third of his time. 

A typical day begins with preparing materials for classes and meeting with students who may seek some extra help. “I want to help students understand biology, and they need to pass MCAS so they can graduate high school,” he said, “but my main mission is to make the high school experience better for kids. It does not have to be cruel and stressful.”

He loves working at ARHS. “I feel like students are really awesome, super thoughtful, and aware of the world,” he said. “And I love my coworkers. The science department is awesome.”

Sivel said that one of the most exciting parts of this job is when students have a “light bulb moment” and come up with a good question to ask. Additionally, he is thrilled when students have a “social light bulb,” and get along, help each other out, or communicate. 

Sivel grew up in West Hartford, Connecticut, but now lives in Amherst, Mass. Halfway through high school, he left for boarding school in Southern New Hampshire. He said his days at the boarding school “were filled with farm chores, community meetings, and cooking meals.” He lived in a house with other students and a couple of house parents and he finished high school there. 

He ended up taking a break from school but then went to college. After high school, Sivel didn’t go straight to college. He did landscaping, worked at restaurants, and did some carpentry. After two years of working without a degree, he decided to go back to school.

“Working without a degree and doing manual labor is rough and really hard work,” said Sivel. He still recalls landscaping and standing over a steaming pile of mulch on a hot summer day.

His coworker Jose noticed he was about to pass out from exhaustion and said, “You gotta go back to school man,” which he did shortly afterward.

Sivel said that in college he had a mentor who always used to say, “Follow your heart and land on your feet,” advice he still remembers. And he appreciates that he has done just that, and has found “a close community of friends, a spouse, and two kids” in the process.

At ARHS, he hopes to make sure that students can grow into “happy and healthy adults” too.