Every student has a reason for having a favorite teacher and, for us, we value one’s ability to create a warm, welcoming environment. We’d like to introduce you to our favorite biology teacher: Robert Flack, Honors and AP Biology teacher! During lunch as you walk into his room, you will see tables filled with students, some doing AP revisions, but others just there to hang out and relax.
Flack grew up with his family in Long Island, then went to study at Ithaca College and City University of New York. Also… surprise, Flack was a Marine! He initially joined the Marine Corps to play saxophone because it “seemed like a good idea” and he wanted to travel, which took him from Kansas City to the Rocky Mountains to Canada. He joked that the job was worth it as “it offered free healthcare.”
Flack has been a science teacher since 2019, but that wasn’t always his dream. After initially learning to play piano in elementary school, he later developed a love for the saxophone when he saw his high school band playing the theme from Jurassic Park. Moving forward, he knew he had to be a saxophonist. Since high school, Flack has done it all in his music career; he has played at Mardi Gras in New Orleans and halftime shows and playoff games for the NFL.
Flack eventually moved to DC during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is when he began working at Jackson-Reed. He loves working here because of the welcoming and diverse community of faculty and students. He especially enjoys the company of the other biology teachers and biomed teachers: “I don’t get out that much, but I do enjoy the other science teams”.
Flack has a passion for teaching and has wanted to be a teacher since he was young. Originally he wanted to be a music teacher to share his passion for music with others. However, that changed when he realized teaching music wasn’t his strong suit. “I wanted something for myself,” Flack reflected. He realized that he didn’t want to have to share his passion and could branch out into other subjects. He began to teach biology, which he found he was better at, but never stopped playing music. He enjoys teaching high school in particular because he gets to meet students as freshmen and later see some of them as juniors and seniors taking AP Biology. “It’s rewarding to see how people grow,” Flack said.
Flack’s love for teaching high school students comes from his joy in interacting with real people. “You guys have personalities, you are less annoying, and it’s never a boring day,” he said. Flack shared that if he had to pick between Honors and AP Biology, AP Biology would be his favorite. He feels the older students have more life experiences, which makes teaching more interesting, and that when they take AP Biology, they “actually want to learn that. The AP Biology class also includes better content, goes way more in depth, and has far more connections to current sciences.”
When we asked if he had any advice for his students, Flack said that he doesn’t like to give advice as each person has their own journey and needs to find their own way in life. He did note that it was important “to be kind to yourself and others and be curious.” He also says you should always be curious about why things are the way they are.
Today, Flack continues to play saxophone, playing recently at the Black Cat, a local DC bar. He lives in DC with his partner and two dogs, Rey and Finn, enjoys the friendship of other teachers and their families, and is currently pursuing a masters of science in bioinformatics through Brandeis University.
