This month's Spotlight features Dom Corcuera, a chemistry teacher at Point Pleasant Borough High School, and a recent graduate of NJCTL's Master of Science in Teaching and Learning Chemistry program. Now in his 18th year at the school, Dom teaches a variety of chemistry courses and says he feels fortunate to have found his professional home in his very first teaching job.

Dom discovered his passion for teaching while studying chemistry at Stockton University. After starting college as a pre-med major, he found himself drawn to chemistry and he became a teaching assistant for organic chemistry, physical chemistry and a laboratory course for non-majors. "Then I realized that, hey, this teaching thing is pretty cool," he says. He went on to earn a bachelor's in chemistry, followed by an alternate-route teaching certification and a master's in educational technology.

After years in the classroom, Dom sought out graduate coursework that was directly related to his work as a chemistry teacher. He discovered NJCTL at an educator conference and eventually enrolled in the master's program. "A lot of the professional development that's out there is in the art of teaching, but not geared toward chemistry," he says. "I wanted something that was specific to my job and was happy to find NJCTL."

After completing the program, Dom says he began looking at the classroom differently. He refined his use of formative assessments, incorporated electronic polling to check understanding across his entire class, and introduced more small group work, student choice, and retakes. During his experience with his AP Chemistry class, he saw a significant increase in engagement, along with the strongest AP scores he had seen during his time at the school.

"I thought I was doing things correctly and maybe I was," he reports. "But after completing NJCTL's program, I'm doing it better. It's the best professional development I've ever had!"

The experience also changed the way he views his role in the classroom. Rather than simply delivering information, he now sees himself as being more of a facilitator of learning by giving students opportunities to work together and take greater ownership of their learning. "My students really appreciated that too," he says, describing how students worked in small groups to identify mistakes and help one another solve problems. "There was no pulling teeth whatsoever!"

Dom's passion for learning extends beyond the high school classroom. Since 2015, he has taught college introductory and general chemistry as an adjunct professor at Ocean County College, where he recently received the Adjunct Faculty of the Year Award. He is also deeply involved in his local education association, serving as secretary and membership chair.

Outside of education he enjoys playing music and spending time with the rescue dogs he and his wife adopted.

For Dom, one of the best parts of teaching is seeing what happens after students leave his classroom. He especially enjoys running into former students after they have graduated and seeing them pursuing careers and paths they have chosen. "It's just nice to know that I played a small part in their journey to wherever they want to go," he reflects.

We are proud to spotlight Dom for his dedication to chemistry education, his enthusiasm for learning, and his commitment to helping students develop skills they can carry with them wherever life takes them.