Creating a Love for ScienceRead Time 9 min

Louise Meyer is happy whenever she sees that students are proud of their accomplishments in one of her chemistry classes at Kenosha’s St. Joseph Catholic Academy.

For the past 26 years, she has taught chemistry to sophomore through senior students. Teaching chemistry at the high school level rather than college was essential to her because she wanted to show younger students that they didn’t need to feel intimidated by the subject.

“It brings me great joy when I witness a student who is proud of his/her progress, whether it be an assessment grade, mastering a particular skill or simply doing the homework,” she said. “I’m particularly pleased when a student says, ‘Before this class, I didn’t like science, and I wasn’t good at it, but after your class, I like it and am good at it.’ I’ve had many students tell me some variation of that over the years.”

Meyer’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a Master of Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Before coming to SJCA on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 17, 1999, her education career began as a teaching assistant at the University of Illinois. She has served as an educator for more than 30 years.

While inspired by the lives of many Catholic saints, Meyer’s favorite seems to correlate with her desire to help every student achieve success, even if it is in a very small way.

“I do resonate with St. Therese of Lisieux,” she said. “Like St. Therese, I don’t see myself as able to do fantastic things or to be able to make a great difference in the world, so I try to do little things with great love, such as St. Therese and her ‘Little Way.’”

When Meyer, a Pleasant Prairie resident, is not teaching or participating in school-related activities, she has a penchant for puzzles, which she admits sometimes takes over her life.

“My favorite kinds are jigsaw, Sudoku, Rubik’s Cube and other manipulative puzzles,” she explained. “When I’m on a roll, I can do a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle in just a couple of hours without looking at the picture on the box. I get so involved in puzzle-solving that I have to be careful about when I get one out. Otherwise, I won’t get anything else done. I used to do origami but haven’t done that much lately. However, I recently made a very entertaining flexagon, so I think I’ll start doing more.”

A few years ago, Meyer visited Mexico with a school group. In addition to immersing herself in the culture, she became enamored with some new foods and spices.

“I got hooked on Cochinita Pibi (a traditional Yucatec Mayan slow-roasted pork dish from the Yucatán Peninsula) and authentic salsas and sauces. I love Mexican food and enjoy dabbling in the spicy stuff,” she said. “However, my favorite food is anything someone else makes for me.”

Whether her days are overly busy, challenging, complex or joy-filled, Meyer appreciates reading Scripture and has a few favorite passages to rely on.

“There are so many good quotes that have inspired me at different times, depending on what’s happening that day,” she said. “I guess the quote, ‘Be still and know that I am God’ — Psalm 46:10 — is the one I keep going back to. It’s so easy to get caught up in my fast-paced days and endless to-do lists that I need to constantly remind myself to slow down, be still and be attentive to God.”

Meyer at a Glance

School: St. Joseph Catholic Academy

Years at school: 26

Years as a teacher: 30

Favorite saint: St. Therese of Lisieux

Hobbies: Puzzles

Favorite food: “Anything some else makes for me.”

Quote that guides your life: “Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10