A familiar face to some at Parker, Gigi Mathews is the newest addition to the science department. Mathews, who began her career as a teacher at Parker, is back to teach Chemistry and fill the vacancy left by JP Iaconianni. Mathews has taught for 16 years and most recently taught science at Prospect High School. 

Mathews has a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts and Sciences from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she majored in Chemistry. She also has a Master of Science in Education and Social Policy for Secondary Science Education from Northwestern University. 

Mathews first fell in love with chemistry in high school where she enjoyed labs and experiments. She started college as a chemical engineering major but decided to focus on chemistry.  

As a college student, she first thought she would do research and was interested in clean energy but became interested in teaching in her junior year. She tutored middle school students in science through her sorority. 

“Spending time with these kids totally changed my direction,” Mathews said. “ I knew that I loved chemistry, but I also really loved helping these kids understand how scientific concepts worked by being able to explain things in more simple terms.”

After graduating, Mathews worked at the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago and Motorola to save money for her master’s in education. 

Though she got into teaching through tutoring middle schoolers, Mathews now works with high schoolers since there is a greater focus on chemistry. “I really like teaching more sophisticated topics to the high school students, and I really love seeing the amount of growth that occurs,” Mathews said.

As a student teacher at Parker, she shadowed a few teachers and took over teaching three classes. “I just remember walking into Parker and thinking how much of a different place it was from the high school that I went to,” Mathews said. “My teachers were very kind and caring, but the Parker teachers were like, head and shoulders above that. They really cared to get to know their students and really helped them grow as individuals and so that’s what made me fall in love with Parker.” 

Upper School Science Teacher George Austin was a TA for a graduate course Mathews took at Northwestern. Mathews also worked with Austin as a student teacher in 1997 where they taught the Chemistry-Physics-Biology II integrated science class. “She is not only a master teacher but also a remarkable student who enthusiastically soaks up new information quickly and puts it all into action with her own students,” Austin said in an email statement. 

In her time away from Parker, Mathews missed Morning Ex, where she can see her students “showcase themselves in a different light.” 

Labs are Mathews’ favorite part of chemistry. “I really like doing labs where there’s a goal but there’s really no procedure and the students have to come up with their own procedure to figure out how to get to the end goal,” Mathews said. 

In her first few years at Parker, Mathews performed scientific shows for her students around Halloween. “I really like making magic shows out of chemistry,” Mathews said. “Bangs and sparks are always fun.”

Mathews lives in Arlington Heights with her husband, two children, and dog named Ivy. She has a 16-year-old son named Russell who coaches a swim team. “I’m maybe thinking there might be a little bit of a teacher in him,” Mathews said. 

She also enjoys crafting with her 12-year-old daughter, Ginger. “I just like spending time with my family,” Mathews said. “I know that they’re getting older, especially my son, so my time with him is limited. Whenever I can, I like to go and watch him swim and see him do the things that he enjoys to do.”

Mathews enjoys making cards and hand letters for all of her holiday cards. She also takes ballet classes and is a fan of BTS, a South Korean boy band, along with her daughter. 

Mathews’ inspiration is her dad, who passed away shortly after she began teaching. “He left all that he knew in the Philippines and came to a foreign country to give his family better opportunities,” Mathews said. “He did this out of love, but what I admire most is his bravery and perseverance.”

Mathews wants her students to know that they are “always welcome” to talk to her. “I’ve learned that everyone has their own story, everyone comes from a different background, and that they shouldn’t be afraid to share it, especially if it’s going to affect their daily functioning,” Mathews said. “I am always here to listen and help.”