During lab days in Ms. Miranda Chin’s classroom, students walk into an energetic and hands-on learning space. A dedicated physics teacher, Ms. Chin is passionate about presenting science as fun and exciting. “Even though it might seem like a small thing, every time I help a student discover something they’re passionate about, it feels incredibly meaningful,” Ms. Chin said.
Through her teaching, Ms. Chin hopes to inspire her students with “aha” moments where concepts click and enthusiasm blooms. “It’s my way of giving back and making a difference in the world,” she said.
Ms. Chin always knew she wanted to teach but her focus on physics came in high school when she found fulfillment in tackling the challenges of a summer honors physics course. Her teacher, Mr. David Jones, who still teaches at Heritage today, encouraged her persistence. “He never gave up on me and eventually the material just made sense,” she said.
“I’ve seen Ms. Chin progress through all phases of her professional life, from high school through college and into her career as a teacher,” Mr. Jones said. “She had the desire on her own to be a physics teacher and always stayed in touch, no matter where her path led.”
Inspired by the support and success she experienced, Ms. Chin decided to pursue a career as a physics teacher. She followed in Mr.Jones’s footsteps, earning a Bachelor of Science in Physics from Florida International University. “I wanted to teach just like him,” she said.
Now, Ms. Chin has been teaching physics for more than 20 years. She started out teaching math, then moved on to physics. For 12 years, she taught advanced classes such as AP Physics B, AP Physics C and Physics H before joining Heritage nine years ago.
At Heritage, Ms. Chin tries to make physics fun and interactive for her students. She starts each unit with a lab so students can see and measure real-life examples of physics in action. “It’s important for students to connect what they’re learning to what they can see and do,” Ms. Chin said. Her teaching style, known as “physics modeling,” focuses on hands-on activities and understanding the concepts deeply.
“Her teaching style really resonates with me and has really inspired many of my friends to pay extra attention to physics,” senior Sarah Kanji said. “At the beginning of the year, she said her goal was to inspire kids like her teacher did with her, and I think she’s fulfilling that wish.”
Looking back on her career, Ms. Chin’s favorite memories remain as the times when her former students return to share their success stories with physics. “This year, my former student, senior Hayley Schachter, who is a theater kid, came back to tell me she was interested in double majoring in physics,” she said. “It is like paying it forward, seeing students fall in love with physics and pass that love onto others makes it all worthwhile.”
Ms. Chin helps junior Neel Dhuruva during her extra time hours, which she has to arrange according to her daughters’ schedules. Outside of teaching, Ms. Chin enjoys keeping up with K-pop and spending time with her daughters, sixth grader Xia and junior Madeline Hernandez. More often than not, Ms. Chin has to balance the responsibility of being a single mother with being a teacher, with her daughter, Xia playing on the volleyball team and Madeline working on the literary magazine. (Photo/Kayra Dayi)
