Schafer, James

Education: College of William and Mary- B.S in Physics and Applied math
Came to Blair in: 2001
Current job: AP physics teacher
Hobbies: Skiing, mountain climbing, sailing
Extracurricular: Golf coach, Physics club sponsor, helping with the ski club

During most lunch periods, you can find James Schafer in room 332 surrounded by students. Whether he is showing them how he connects- the-dots or explaining physics, Schafer almost always has a crowd around him ready to learn.

Surrounded by students was not always how Schafer saw himself after college. He grew up in Rockville and went to the College of William and Mary preparing to be an engineer. "I didn't decide to be a teacher until my senior year in college," he said. "I really thought I was going to be an engineer. I majored in Physics and Applied math." Schafer discovered his current love of teaching when he ran a tutoring program for underclassmen as a senior in college.

Schafer graduated with a B.S in Physics and Applied math and came straight to Blair. He wanted to teach here "because of the courses [he] would be allowed to teach," namely all the AP physics courses. While he thoroughly enjoys teaching physics he has many other hobbies.

The majority of Schafer's interests involve the outdoors. While in college, he backpacked through Europe. During the winter, he usually goes skiing. "I like to go skiing out west so I usually go to Colorado or Utah," he said. "I wrestle bears with my bear hands," he added jokingly. "I play golf, I like to sail in the summer, I go mountain climbing and I play cards a lot." Schafer is not one easily bored. As of now, there's nothing significant he would like to change in his life. "I'm pretty happy."