Interview with T. J. Saddler

 

  Choosing a path of authenticity in one’s life sometimes requires a change of careers. It takes courage, tenacity and determination to change the course of one’s life to embark on a path that aligns with one’s purpose and goals.

  T.J. Saddler was working as a supervisor in a glass plant when he decided to become a dedicated science teacher. He is the author of Corning Incorporated to Education: A Tale of Two Careers as Planet Earth Turns.

   Julia: How did you take the leap? What inspired you to do so? How did it happen?

 T.J. Saddler: While working at Corning Incorporated, I was sidelined and placed on a list ensuring I would never work again, as a result of systemic racism. This painful experience ultimately led me to reevaluate my purpose. Around the same time, I learned that industrial managers were being encouraged to transition into teaching roles.

 While substituting in the science department at a local high school, a fellow teacher informed me of a summer teaching program in New Hampshire that could help me secure a teaching license. This encouragement, combined with my passion for education, solidified my decision to pursue a new career. I vividly recall a second-grader’s excitement when I substituted in his classroom, exclaiming joyfully that he had a male teacher for the day. This moment confirmed my calling to inspire the next generation, which I delve into my book.

 Julia: What is your book about? What is its purpose?

 T.J. Saddler: My book, Corning Incorporated to Education: A Tale of Two Careers as Planet Earth Turns, weaves together emotional anecdotes from two distinct careers. It begins with my experiences at Corning Incorporated, where I faced profound challenges, including an encounter with over forty KKK members who threatened my life. The story transitions into my courageous pivot to education, where I found purpose in teaching science to the next generation.

 The book’s purpose is to inspire readers to pursue their passions, embrace career transitions, and face adversity with faith, resilience, and determination. Through these personal stories, I hope to encourage others to find meaning in their own journeys.

Julia: What makes your book unique?

 T.J. Saddler: My book is unique because it offers a deeply personal perspective, starting from my upbringing at age two through my educational and professional journeys. It shares vivid stories from my time at a global Fortune 500 company and various educational settings, from kindergarten to post-graduate classrooms.

Additionally, the book explores broader themes such as labor rights, education, and the societal challenges of systemic racism. It blends these insights with engaging storytelling that read like a novel, making it accessible and relatable to a wide audience.

Julia: Did you have to deal with judgments from others in the process of making the change? What obstacles did you have to deal with?

 T.J. Saddler: Yes, I faced significant judgment and rejection when transitioning into teaching. Despite being a qualified industrial manager responding to calls for managers to enter classrooms, I was twice denied opportunities in the local school system. On my third attempt, I was offered a substitute teaching position, despite objections from some staff members.

These challenges only strengthened my resolve. My story reflects the resilience needed to overcome societal barriers, financial hurdles, and the doubts while staying true to my purpose.

 

Julia: What are the greatest challenges you face as a science teacher? What topics do you teach?

T.J. Saddler: One of my greatest challenges was completing the rigorous teacher certification program at Franklin Pierce University, which I finished in nine months. Classroom management also required innovation, as I developed techniques like comprehension maps to engage students and ensure understanding. These tools were later adopted by fellow teachers, and I was recognized with an award for my successful teaching methods.

 I taught general science, natural science, earth science, biology, chemistry, and honors chemistry. I found the greatest comfort in teaching chemistry and honors chemistry, as my passion for the subject was unmatched. I used diverse teaching methods, including field trips, hands-on experiments, and tailored lesson plans to accommodate short attention spans, ensuring an engaging learning environment for all my students.

Julia: What do you love the most about working as a science teacher?

T.J. Saddler: What I love most about teaching is seeing students experience “aha” moments-when they finally grasp a challenging concept or see the relevance of science in their everyday lives. Inspiring curiosity and critical thinking while fostering a love of discovery makes teaching deeply rewarding. My greatest joy comes from knowing I’m shaping the next generation to think analytically and contribute meaningfully to society.

Julia: Would you like to add anything else about the book?

T.J. Saddler: After facing adversity at the high school, which became a toxic place to continue teaching, I embarked on new teaching adventures. I transitioned to a private school, provided personalized support, and eventually rekindled my love for teaching at a local Job Corps Center. These diverse experiences allowed me to reimagine my teaching style and focus on student empowerment.

  My book reflects on my time at a global Fortune 500 company and these teaching adventures, offering a unique perspective on overcoming adversity, embracing change, and finding purpose. It’s a story of resilience and hope that I hope will inspire readers to persevere through their own challenges.

 

Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest by Suzanne Simard

 

“But man is part of nature, and his war against nature is inevitably a war against himself.” Rachel Carson

   Working in the logging industry, Suzanne Simard introduced the concept of cooperation among trees; it was based on a discovery for which she was mocked and shunned. Her finding had the potential to turn forest practices upside down. 

  Policies and practices in forestry had been established on the basis of competition as the key to the survival of trees.

  Decades ago, Suzanne Simard’s discovery on the way birch trees support the health of the fir trees was the beginning of an ongoing journey that would study the kind of interaction the field of forestry had ignored for so long: cooperation among trees.

 

You may wonder how trees cooperate with each other when all you’ve heard in school was about competition.

 Just as Albert Frank was fiercely criticized when he introduced the concept of symbiosis, Suzanne Simard was dismissed when she explained the need to let birch trees coexist with fir trees to support the health of the desired fir trees. Birch trees were considered “weeds”; therefore, policies to spray and kill those trees had always been in place.

 Thankfully, Simard found another job at the University of British Columbia and she continued to work hard on her path of research, asking questions that challenged the blindsided system and paved the way to comprehend how trees communicate with each other.

 

Suzanne Simard’s research showed that trees connect underground with the roots of other trees through an intricate network of fungi (the mycorrhizae), and their health and resilience depend on this complex web.

  In her book Finding the Mother Tree, Simard details the story of her research and threads into it her own life experiences, delving into her childhood, youth, family relationships, motherhood, and other relevant matters, like her cancer diagnosis and treatment.

 I appreciate how she was able to integrate so many subjects into a thought-provoking book, and I could empathize with her on every aspect of her journey.  

 “I have come full circle to stumble onto some of the indigenous ideals: Diversity matters. And everything in the universe is connected—between the forests and the prairies, the land and the water, the sky and the soil, the spirits and the living, the people and all other creatures.”

  

Suzanne Simard also focuses on the role of Mother trees. These are the oldest trees in a forest, and they are pivotal to the survival of young seedlings and various other trees, for they provide nourishment, making the forest strong and resilient. Mother trees are the foundation that underpins the integrity of a forest, and they are vital to the diversity of the woods.

  Simard reveals the power of her scientific observations by adding poetical reflections:

  “Imagine the flow of energy from the Mother Trees as powerful as the ocean tide, as strong as the sun’s rays, as irrepressible as the wind in the mountains, as unstoppable as a mother protecting her child. I knew that power in myself even before I’d uncovered these forest conversations. I’d felt it in the energy of the maple in my yard, flowing into me as I contemplated Dr. Malpass’s wisdom about embracing the mystery of life, sensing that magical emergent phenomena when we work together, the synergy that reductionist science so often misses, leading us to mistakenly simplify our societies and ecosystems.”

  After she survived her breast cancer treatment, she asked for some kind of reassurance to get on with her life, but all she encountered was the mystery of life, so she used her knowledge and passion for trees to create The Mother Tree Project. 

 “Our goal is to further develop an emergent philosophy: complexity science. Based on embracing collaboration in addition to competition—indeed, working with all the interactions that make up the forest—complexity science can transform forestry practices into what is adaptive and holistic and away from what has been overly authoritarian and simplistic.”

 Perhaps this book will confirm what your intuition perceives in your own interactions with trees and forests; or it may offer you a new window of contemplation, immersed in a deeper understanding of the trees, inviting you to cherish those moments of communion.

 “There is no moment too small in the world. Nothing should be lost. Everything has a purpose, and everything is in need of care. This is my creed. Let us embrace it. We can watch it rise.”

  Feel free to visit The Mother Tree Project:

https://mothertreeproject.org

 To keep marveling at the ways trees communicate, check this video by Suzanne Simard:

 

You may want to read my writing on Entangled Life if you haven't had a chance to read it yet:

https://juliahoneswritinglife.blogspot.com/2021/12/entangled-life.html