Cody Gaffney
Iron Quill

Ms. Becky Chambers is the Physics and Astronomy teacher at Ironwood Ridge High School. Students will agree Chambers is an interesting teacher, but few of them know her outside of the classroom.

Chambers was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, but moved to Tucson to attend the University of Arizona, where she has remained since graduation.

Chambers majored in Chemistry at the U of A, receiving a Bachelors and Masters in the area. Originally, she wanted to be a forensic chemist, although, she explains, this was before forensic chemistry was popular.

In fact, Chambers’ teaching career began during her college years.

“When you’re a grad[uate] student, you have to teach,” Chambers explained, “and I found that I was good at it.” She says she enjoys teaching because it “changes a lot.”

Chambers returned to the U of A where she became a certified teacher with a Master’s degree in Education. She boasts that she has been teaching for over twenty years.

“I like teaching people how the world works…why things happen the way they happen, which is what [science] does.”

After student-teaching at Amphitheater High School, Chambers taught middle school for several years at Coronado K-8. She came to Ironwood Ridge High School in the second year it had been open, and has been a Nighthawk ever since.

Chambers and her husband, a Raytheon engineer, have two sons. Her family is very involved in Boy Scouts, so outdoor activities are some of Chamber’s favorites.

“I belong to Boy Scouts, so I’m very involved in lots of outdoor stuff. I like to hike [and to] white water raft.” In her spare time, she also enjoys reading, and traveling.

“I’ve traveled a lot,” Chambers says. “One of the things we do [as a family] is every year we visit a different national park. My favorite so far has been Yellowstone.”

Chambers’ talents are not limited to teaching. She is one of the sponsors of the Science and PEOPLE Clubs. She is also a part of the newly formed Faculty/Staff Choir.

Chamber’s choir interests go back to her high school years, when she was a member of her high school choir.

“I went to a high school very much like IRHS,” Chambers explained. “Most of the students there were college-bound and academically driven.”

“[High school] was fairly easy for me; [it] was certainly easier then than it is now. AP Classes were not a big deal, [nobody took] SAT Prep Courses…that sort of thing.”

Chambers also noted that “a lot more kids nowadays work.” In comparison to today’s teenagers, Chambers’ generation had “fewer pressures.”

Easily the most notable feature of Chamber’s classroom is the abundance of stuffed animals, which line all of the counters, cabinets, and bookshelves.

“I’ve always loved stuffed animals,” she said proudly. “My sons win them in those crane machines…I think it makes the classroom a lot cozier.”

While Chambers does not have an exact count, she claims it takes “six large trash bags” to transport all of her stuffed-animals, and she even has more at home.

All in all, Ms. Chambers is an interesting and valuable addition to the Ironwood Ridge High School faculty and staff.

“I love being at Ironwood Ridge,” Chambers concludes.