TEACHER of SCIENCE and FINANCE

Thomas Warfel

Mr. Thomas Warfel grew up in the San Francisco Bay area of California. He earned a B.A. in Geology from Occidental College in 2016 and a M.S. in Earth Science from Syracuse University in 2018. His undergraduate thesis was focused on using geologic dating techniques to determine the ages of volcanic deposits interbedded with rock layers containing early human fossils in Ethiopia. His master's thesis was focused on using thermochronology to better understand the tectonic history of the Denali Fault in Alaska.

After successfully defending his master’s thesis in Syracuse, Mr. Warfel spent two years working as a geologist for an environmental consulting firm in Long Beach, CA. He is presently a middle school science teacher at Heschel Day School in Northridge, CA. As a middle school teacher, he has created classes on astronomy, chemistry, classical Newtonian physics, financial literacy, and quantum cosmology. Mr. Warfel was captain of his high school and collegiate cross country and track and field teams, and he is currently the head varsity soccer coach at Heschel Day School.

My Courses

Financial Literacy

In this course, students will use mathematics to analyze real-world decisions that they can expect to make after graduating high school. They will learn how to create a budget, some of the pros and cons of different career paths, the benefits and pitfalls of credit cards, how to plan for retirement, and basic investment philosophy. Students will walk away from this course with a newfound confidence in their understanding of personal finance.

The History of the Universe: Finding Humanity's Place in the Cosmos

In this course, students will learn about the very large. The primary objective of this course is to fundamentally change the way in which students view the world around them. Students will learn about the four fundamental forces that govern the universe, attempt to visualize the insurmountable scale of time and space, contemplate the mysteries of dark matter and energy, and learn about the life cycles of stars and how the elements of the periodic table were created. Students will walk away from this course with a new perspective of their place within the cosmos.

Beyond the Atom: Finding the Cosmos’ Place within Humanity

In this course, students will learn about the very small. They will delve into the inner workings of what were long considered to be the smallest objects in existence, the atoms. Students will contemplate the quandaries of quantum mechanics, study the structure of the standard model, and examine the dimensions of string theory. They will learn about the very deepest systems that make up the web of all that we experience. Students will walk away from this course with a new perspective of the cosmos’ place within themselves.