The Science of Showing Up: Why Middle Schoolers Love Alex Eren
Story by Sreshta Chalicham '28, Marketing & Communications intern
Photography by Kate Auger
3-minute read
There are three universal truths about middle school:
- Someone will act personally attacked by the concept of sitting in a different seat for one day.
- An iPad will be at 2% battery exactly when you need it.
- Everyone complains about that one sketchy water fountain.
Once you accept that, you also understand why a teacher who can keep a room full of middle schoolers curious, calm and actually engaged is rare. But, from firsthand experience, I can say that Durham Academy Middle School science teacher Alex Eren is one of those teachers.
Eren is upbeat without being fake about it, funny without trying to be a “cool teacher,” and somehow able to keep a room full of middle schoolers engaged while still treating them like real people. Ask students what they think of her and you’ll hear the same things fast: she’s kind, she’s fun, she actually listens, and she is always vivacious and full of life. When I interviewed her as a former student and advisee, what stood out most was how much her life explains the way she teaches.
Eren grew up in a family shaped by service. Both of her parents were in the Air Force, and they met working at the National Security Agency in intelligence. Her mom later retired when she had kids and became a teacher. Eren talked about watching her mom teach as something that stayed with her and that inspired her love of interacting with children.
The outdoors were always part of her childhood, too. Eren grew up sailing and camping and went to the Key School in Annapolis, where outdoor education was part of life. That background made its way into her early work, before she ever had her own classroom. She started in outdoor education and interned with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation when she was in high school, teaching kids on boats and helping them learn skills that she recalled learning growing up.
“I was 17 and teaching kids what I used to do when I was 7,” she said. “It was such an amazing experience.”
Eren’s college plans changed monumentally during her senior year of high school. She was a soccer player and dreamed of playing in college. Then, she tore her ACL. Instead of trying to force the same path, she pivoted. She found Virginia Tech, fell in love with the school and the people in it, and studied forestry as well as environmental education.
Soon after Eren graduated from Virginia Tech and acquired her teaching certification, she found her way to a public charter school in Washington, D.C. Her path then took her to an Oklahoma public school and an independent school in Asheville before she arrived at Durham Academy in 2022.
When asked about why she chose to teach middle school, she said, “Middle school is the age of ‘Who am I going to be?’ Kids are making choices about themselves constantly. I love being around that stage of growth.”
It’s also why Eren cares so much about advisory. Being an eighth grade advisor, she said, is one of the highlights of her job because it opens the door to knowing students beyond their grades or participation. Eren described the advisory system as one of her favorite facets of Durham Academy, and said that she could never imagine teaching without getting to know her students as growing individuals.
When Eren arrived at the Upper School a little before 3:15 p.m. for our interview, she kept running into former students. People recognized her, said hi, and wanted to talk, even if it was only for a quick second. To Eren, those interactions mean the world.
“It’s like, ‘wow!’ Because I’m always, like, you remember me? That’s just so heartwarming and fulfilling to me. It’s one of the reasons you love teaching.”
Ask Eren about her favorite part of teaching, and she is quick with an answer: It’s the kids. She loves that every student has their own “thing,” and she actually takes the time to find it. Students pick up on that immediately. They can tell when an adult is really listening, and they can tell when an adult is just doing their job. Mrs. Eren does both, and she does it with her whole heart.