Written by Cassandra Bond

Physics teacher Lettie Weinmann will be traveling to Jordan with her husband to teach physics at the American Community School of Amman, Jordan. Having previously taught in Nepal for two years, Weinmann is looking forward to teaching overseas again.

Weinmann has taught at Gunn since 1989, and remembers when she decided to dress up for Homecoming week at the beginning of her time at Gunn. “In those days, the seniors always had one day where they dressed up as royalty, so they dressed up as kings and queens,” Weinmann said. “I just happened to have a princess dress, so I put on the princess dress with the hoop skirts and the crown.” In the lesson she had planned that day, wearing the dress would not have been an issue. However, her lesson did not work as planned, so Weinmann reverted to showing a demo on the acceleration of gravity, which required her to stand on a desk, hoop skirt and all. “I’m ready to jump onto the ground from the desk, with my accelerometer in hand, and in walks the principal with the superintendent,” Weinmann said. “He was giving a tour of the school.”

Although embarrassing moments like these are times that Weinmann will never forget, she also learned some valuable life lessons. “Over the past years it has been amazing for me  to watch the kids take care of each other,” Weinmann said. “It has transformed from a culture where students were afraid to share things with grown-ups, to a culture where students realize there is something bigger—that we are all in this together.”

 Weinmann  plans on staying connected with the Gunn science department; she will still write recommendation letters and collaborate with other teachers on the physics curriculum. For now, however, she is looking forward to her time abroad. “I am going to go teach in a different part of the world and be a part of the international community again, which I really enjoy,” Weinmann said.