Justin Deerwester

HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER

Mr. Justin Deerwester fell in love with teaching after serving slightly over 2 years in Malawi, volunteering in the Peace Corps. He taught and lived in a village with no electricity or running water. After completion of service he taught 2 years in a half national/international school in the Netherlands and realized education was his life’s calling so he returned to Phoenix, Arizona to earn his Master’s degree in Secondary Education.

Since 2004, he has taught middle school and high school mathematics (AP and IB) in Malawi, the Netherlands, America, China, Macedonia, and Spain.

Volunteering has been a cornerstone of Mr. Deerwester’s personal life and professional career. For his senior internship, he tutored middle school students at the Salvation Army. This trend continued, and while he was earning his Master’s degree he spent 3 years in downtown Phoenix volunteering at the Salvation Army mentoring disadvantaged students in his neighborhood. After earning his Bachelor’s degree, he served as a mathematics teacher in Malawi with the Peace Corps for over 2 years. Finally, while living and teaching in China, he led the Community Outreach program with a motivated and productive group of students. Through fundraising events at school, they raised enough capital to take two lengthy trips; one to paint a school in a small village in China, and the other to rescue sea turtles in the South China Sea.

Setting a good example to encourage students’ desire to learn mathematics and be world-wise young minds is his mission in education. As a teacher, he focuses and tries to hone and build on the success of his students, all while taking into account the importance of the overall wellbeing of the individual child. Making mathematics real and relevant, and not giving up on anyone is his standard.

In addition to teaching, he has a passion for health and athletics. He loves biking, baseball, basketball, and especially ultimate Frisbee. In Hangzhou, he started and coached the school ultimate Frisbee team for six years, leading them to win multiple team tournaments and individual achievement and awards.