Rider Student Makes Transition to
Teaching A Second Time
One Rider University student-teacher is going back to
a teaching career, but this time to impart his knowledge and professional
experiences to younger students.
Dr. Stephen Koontz recently
retired from Johnson & Johnson at age 55 and has started a new
chapter in his life – preparing for a teaching career on the
secondary level through Rider’s Graduate Level Teacher Certification
Program (GLTCP). Koontz, who entered Rider’s program two and
a half years ago, is currently a student teacher at Hopewell Valley
Central High School, where he teaches Honors Chemistry to sophomores.
He will be certified to teach full-time upon completion of Rider’s
program this May.
As former worldwide director for scientific
affairs at Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products, Koontz was part
of a global training team that implemented a new standard global process
for developing new products and translated product technology to make
it understandable for everyday consumers.
At Johnson & Johnson, Koontz’s
most recent accomplishment was leading the product development team
which launched the Band-Aid® Brand Liquid Bandage, a liquid version
of the traditional Band-Aid®. The new product, which reached stores
last April, eliminates the “ouch” factor in pulling off
traditional bandages. The Liquid Bandage product helps reduce minor
surface pain sealing off a wound’s nerve endings.
Prior to his 14-year career at Johnson
& Johnson, however, Koontz taught undergraduate and graduate chemistry
at Seton Hall University during the early ’80s. “I did
not want to go back to teaching on a college level,” said Koontz,
who earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Wittenberg
University in Springfield, OH, and a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University
of Wisconsin-Madison. “By the time many students enroll in college
they’ve already decided that they hate chemistry.
“I want to change that way of
thinking. Everything in the world involves chemistry. Not everyone
is going to become a chemist but everyone should acquire a sense of
the important roles chemistry plays in their lives. This is my area
of strength.”
Koontz decided to make the transition
to full-time teaching three years ago, as part of a “self-evolutionary
process” of “where to go next.” While at Johnson
& Johnson, he was co-director of the Science Alliance program,
a program that partnered area school teachers with industry professionals
to develop new hands-on, inquiry-based teaching materials for K-12.
Through his alliances, he learned about
Rider’s GLTCP, a streamlined program designed for professionals
preparing for their new careers. He selected Rider due to its close
proximity, flexibility and reputation. In fact, his cooperative classroom
teacher, who serves as his teaching mentor, Dr. Lillian Rankel, likewise
received her teaching certification from Rider seven years ago.
Koontz believes he has come full circle
professionally. “Since I’ve pieced this all together over
a period of time, this is not a huge transition for me,” said
Koontz, “however,” he adds with a chuckle, “The
bottom line is, I still have to get a teaching job once I’m
certified. I have not gone on an interview in a long time.”
