What is your name, what department do you work in, and what are your pronouns? My name is Vishal Mody. I work in the Science Department, and my pronouns are he/him.
What science classes do you teach? This year I’m teaching Conceptual Physics, and I’m also teaching AP Physics 1.
Why do you enjoy physics? I just find it fascinating. I think it gives us a model for how we think about the universe. I like that it’s something that’s very practical and that we experience day-to-day. I love how it can lead to a lot of technical careers, like [how] people who are in engineering use physics principles to do research and design. And I love how students really have an opportunity to kind of connect what they’re doing on a piece of paper to real-world phenomena. I love when a student comes to me the next day like, “Hey, I was driving somewhere, I was riding my bike, I was skateboarding, and I was thinking about what we learned about in Physics class.”
What do you appreciate most about your family? I have two sons. One is 14, and he’s a freshman at Niles West. And then I have a younger one who’s eight, and he’s a fourth grader at Parkview, which is not too far from here. I love watching them grow up. I love watching them learn, I love spending time with them, playing games with them—whether they’re board games or sports—watching TV together, watching movies. [It’s] challenging at times, of course, but overall it’s been an amazing experience.
When do you feel you are at your best as a person? I think when I’m balanced. Where I have a good balance between work, family, and doing the things that I enjoy doing. I find that when I’m not spending time taking care of myself or doing the things that I enjoy doing in life, that’s where I start to kind of lose my balance. So, I think when I’m enjoying work, I’m enjoying family, and I’m enjoying the things that I’m doing, I think that’s the time when I’m the best version of myself.
Do you feel like it’s common for teachers to spend more time attending to others than taking care of themselves? I think that can be a very natural thing to have [happen]. There are certain phases in your life where you give more attention to other people outside yourself, whether that’s your children, your students, or your coworkers. I think most teachers are dedicated and very committed to what they do, and so it’s very natural for them to kind of give time and attention to others and then kind of put themselves on the back burner a little bit.
How did you come to start working at Niles North? I grew up in the area, and I live in the [Niles North] area. I had been [teaching] at Taft High School for quite some time. And every now and then, I would kind of think about the possibility of teaching in the area that I live in, but I really enjoyed the students that I was working with and my coworkers. And then, someone kind of mentioned that there was a Physics opening, and I thought, “Hey, let me apply. Let’s see what happens.” And the process happened very quickly, and the more I heard about it, the more interested I became, and everything just kind of fell into place. So when the opportunity presented itself, I felt I owed it to myself to at least explore and see what opportunities this would bring me. And so far, it’s been incredible. It’s been amazing.
What is your favorite thing to do outside of work? Spending time with friends and family. I also love playing baseball, I love biking, I love taking walks and hiking, I like reading. I love food, so I love having meals with friends and family or going out to restaurants with friends and family. I love going to the beach. I love being in nature. I think that’s really where I feel at peace and I feel happy.
