Person To Know: Deborah Waldron

Self-described as short, energetic and laid back, Deborah Waldron is a passionate and devoted teacher. With a love for science and math, Waldron was destined to become an Advanced Placement (AP) and High-Intensity Language Training (HILT) physics teacher. Although initially she did not expect to be in the physics field, Waldron knew from a young age her heart was in teaching.

“I can remember being a camp counselor when I was 16. I was teaching a kid how to start a fire, and I just remember that look on his face when he did it all by himself. I was pretty hooked that I wanted to be a teacher,” Waldron said.

After taking her first physics class in high school, Waldron knew that was what she wanted to do. Following high school, Waldron continued studying physics and graduated college with a bachelors and masters degree in physics. Needless to say, Waldron’s passion for physics has carried into her work.

“I took my first physics class and realized how much cooler physics was than math. [My teacher] was really fantastic, and he made physics fun. It had a purpose and real-life examples. It is awesome, why would you not want to teach physics?” Waldron said.

Before working at Yorktown, Waldron had a job teaching physics in Winchester, Virginia. She then decided to move to Arlington and began working at Kenmore Middle School before coming to Yorktown.

“[The school in Winchester] was excellent, but it was not the most exciting place to live, so I moved here. I had a job at Kenmore Middle School, which was not my strength. I was fortunate that a job opened at Yorktown, and then I found out how awesome it was,” Waldron said.

Although teaching middle school was not for Waldron, teaching high school physics definitely is. She has taught nearly every level of physics, and she even taught one math class. After working here for many years, Waldron has advice for her current students.

“My go-to advice I always give is that when you are going to be a senior, applying to college is like taking an eighth class, and you should take that into account. Also, on your AP exams, you should do your best and then you should walk away. In the end, it is a low-stress test,” Waldron said.

Waldron has contributed to our school in many different ways. Last year, she created the “safe space for all” sticker and encouraged all the teachers to put them up in their rooms. Additionally, she has made lasting contributions to the physics department. Whether Waldron is creating fires in her classroom (which has occurred on two separate occasions) or giving her students memorable advice, she definitely is a person to know.