Martin Berryman has made an exciting return to Malden High School. Berryman, a chemistry teacher, was previously a teacher here at Malden High School for 14 years, but switched to Lincoln Sudbury High School for a change. All in all, Malden is happy to have him back. With all his knowledge of chemistry, great personality, and teaching style, he will add a well-needed spark back to the school.
When Berryman was in high school, he had a passion for theater and acting. He originally thought that he would go into acting, so he went to The Juilliard School. He said that during that time he also had a passion for science, so he worked at a pharmaceutical company for a while in Cambridge and enjoyed it. Berryman mentioned that he worked as a bench chemist, so he would perform different reactions and do different types of prep work. He soon liked it so much that changed majors to take chemistry full-time and eventually got his degree in chemistry.
Mr. Berryman wearing a science pun shirt. The shirt reads “I wear this shirt periodically” and includes imagery of the periodic table. CHELMIE HYPPOLITE
Berryman comes from a family of educators, as his father and mother were both school teachers. His father was a high school teacher and his mother was an elementary school teacher, which provided a bridge between his own interests and those of his parents. Berryman related teaching to acting in that they both have objectives they try to reach, and how you have to think about ways to be engaging. Berryman explained, “So just as in acting you think about all the different ways that a particular character might try to get something that they want. As a teacher, you think about all the different ways that your student might be interested in learning, and then try to design lessons to meet those needs.”
Katherine Haskell, a fellow chemistry teacher at MHS, has known Berryman since 2011: “He’s incredibly positive. He’s very uplifting to both students and staff. He’s a great person to just have here. He always has a positive word to say about everyone.” She continued to go on about how passionate Berryman is about teaching and chemistry.
Haskell also explained how easy it is to approach Berryman and how supportive he is of the students as well as the teachers. “He’s a phenomenal teacher. So hands down, he elevates all of our teaching just by having him here. He really helps. He brings a lot of benefits to the school in terms of teaching but also like I said, the morale and kids really enjoy him. So he brings a lot of mental health benefits to the kids and to the staff. We all feel his really good personality in general like fun energy,” Haskell said.
Mr. Berryman helping students in class at his lab tables. CHELMIE HYPPOLITE
Jessica Webber, a biology teacher at MHS, said that the science department at MHS is “so happy to have Mr. Berryman back at MHS. He is an incredible educator and a wonderful person and we are so lucky to have him here!”
Berryman mentioned numerous times how special Malden is and how special the students are here at MHS. He feels that he learns a lot from students at MHS, especially culturally. He believes that the learning can be transformational.
Berryman is a caring heartfelt teacher that puts his all into everything. It is evident that MHS is glad he is returning and bringing back his well-needed energy.
Mr. Berryman assisting students working at the lab tables in the back of his room. CHELMIE HYPPOLITE
