Sharon Colbath, teaches her class about the importance of science. photo by Ben Scherer
Longtime staple of TJ’s science department inspires until she retires.
Sharon Colbath has been teaching for 39 years, making a lasting impact on the community of Thomas Jefferson High School. In everything that she does as a chemistry teacher, she aims to make a difference in the lives of all of her students. Before coming to TJ, Colbath taught at Cole Middle School. While there, the school changed to an art school, causing Colbath to feel conflicted. The school board told her that if she didn’t think that art was the most important thing, she should leave. So she did just that. She stuck to her personal beliefs to teach chemistry at TJ ever since, making this her 35th year as a Spartan.
Colbath has learned that she simply cares about making a difference and inspiring all of her students. Before becoming a teacher, she worked a different job as an exploration geologist but didn’t feel any fulfillment in her career. “I was just showing up to work and leaving… I didn’t feel satisfaction within the job,” Colbath stated. She quit her job to become a teacher and try to make an impact on people’s lives. Becoming a teacher was a good decision for her. She enjoys seeing students who never thought they could succeed eventually succeeding. She admits that chemistry is a subject that many students struggle with, so she likes to teach students that they can truly understand it if they try hard enough. Helping students realize that they’re more than they believe is one of her favorite parts about being a teacher. Senior Noah Klein said, “She was a great teacher… she always helped me out and was very respectful with it.” Colbath is very considerate and understanding in the way that she teaches because she just wants the best for her students.
While Colbath does love to teach, she also just enjoys the subject of chemistry. She received her degree from The University of California, Los Angeles, earning a Bachelor’s in Science and Geology. She also went to a school at the University of Oregon to get her Master’s degree in Science and Geology. Even before becoming a chemistry teacher, Colbath always had a passion for science. She says that she “loves the labs” when teaching chemistry. She feels that they help students to really understand what science is all about rather than just getting handed a worksheet every day. She likes the hands-on aspect of chemistry labs and likes to see the students learning how to do real labs. She thinks that ordinary worksheets are useful but labs help get students more engaged and interested in the content they are learning.
After coming to TJ, Colbath realized that TJ is so much more than just a regular old school. It’s a community. She explains how everyone at TJ is so supportive and kind. They help her with many of her needs and, most importantly, they trust and believe in her. They know that she will do a good job with work and just let her do her thing. Outside of the classroom, Colbath enjoys various outdoor activities that help her to feel happy and connected to nature. “I bicycle, I walk, I garden…anything outdoors.” No matter if the activity is just simply walking her dog by the lake or enjoying a meal outside with her husband, she cherishes her time spent in nature. “Especially when the weather is beautiful, I just love being outdoors,” Colbath noted.
One of Colbath’s passions is running her very own weather station in her classroom to track weather patterns. Just up the stairs past the copy room stands her weather station. She loves the excitement of the weather station so much that she has the very same one at her house. “I love knowing what the current weather is, what the wind is, and the humidity.” Analyzing the weather station gives Colbath a sense of joy. While she loves to personally find out what the weather is currently like and what it is going to be like in the future, she also loves telling others about what her weather station says. She enjoys informing students about what the weather is going to be like the next day so that they can plan ahead in regards to what they’re going to wear to school. Her overall favorite part of the weather station, though, is the data about how much rainfall is expected to happen or has happened. She finds the weather station very fun and loves to share it with all of the people around her.
Colbath would describe herself as “hardworking, caring,” and as someone who’s “trying to make a difference in the world.” Her main goal is to make a difference in her students’ lives so that they can do the same in their future. In all of her 39 years of teaching, Colbath has made a difference. She has inspired countless students to believe in themselves and their dreams. When she retires next year in her 40th year of teaching, she will be leaving TJ on a remarkable note. She will go on to live out her dreams of being outdoors and traveling the world with her husband, knowing that she made a difference in the lives of countless students.
