Cummings School Science Teacher Keeps Students Constantly Motivated

WINTHROP – His enthusiasm is infectious and it spreads easily to his seventh grade students at the Cummings School, something that didn’t go unrecognized when teacher Chris Farnsworth recently received an award from the North Shore Science Supervisors Association for exemplary science teaching.

Farnsworth, a Malden native who has settled in Winthrop with his wife and daughter, teaches seventh graders about life sciences, human body systems, cells, genetics and evolution. He is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island and spent his college summers in North Carolina working on the barrier islands with sea turtles.

He often brings in guest speakers to get the students talking. He said the beautiful thing about Winthrop is the connections he makes with people in the life sciences field such as doctors and nurses.

“Whenever I see kids it’s a good thing,” he said of running into his students around town.

In addition to teaching, Farnsworth is the Quiz Bowl moderator and involved in Project Bread’s Walk for Hunger. He’s also taken students in to the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research in Cambridge. While there they dissected flies.

“The more education changes the more every second counts,” Farnsworth said. “It’s almost like college. This is intense for a 12-year-old.”

Farnsworth is also involved and quite proud of his work with robotics. His students have brought back awards from MIT for their robotics work. One of his former students is currently enrolled at MIT. He said the Boston area is great for learning about science.

            “It’s rewarding,” Farnsworth said. “And it never ends. Although you don’t get an immediate reward you do get it in the future.