Nathan Frumkin Thinks Science is for the Birds at Lincoln Prep

Nathan Frumkin has been teaching science at Lincoln Prep for nearly a decade, but his accomplished career began with publishing peer-reviewed research in animal behavior and ornithology. His early work focused on mockingbirds, a fitting subject for someone who would eventually join a classical academy where students study To Kill a Mockingbird.

Frumkin’s love for nature was sparked when he was a Boy Scout who enjoyed hiking, backpacking, and camping. After 10 years living in Carlsbad, California, his family moved to Westborough, Massachusetts when he was 13.  After graduating Westborough High, he attended Tulane University where he earned a bachelors and master’s in environmental biology.

“While at Tulane, it looked like my career path was going to be in some combination of conservation or research,” shared Frumkin. “I did a summer internship with Mass Audubon in Westport, Mass., and completed an honors thesis focusing on mockingbird distribution in New Orleans. I also worked on a project studying aggression in flamingos at the Audubon Zoo which allowed me to be the lead author on a paper in the journal Zoo Biology.” He contributed to additional mockingbird projects before leaving Tulane, where he helped capture and tag mockingbirds, as well as record their song in New Orleans neighborhoods.

It was also at Tulane University that he met Hillary, who was studying architecture. The two moved to Arizona in 2015 after graduation in search of jobs. They were married in 2020 and now have a two-year-old son.

After coming to Ariz., Frumkin worked on some house finch projects at Arizona State University and worked as a tutor at Gateway Community College. He then became an adjunct at Estrella Mountain Community College, where he taught environmental biology, which, he says, started him on the teaching path.

“After my time as an adjunct, I was interested in finding a full-time teaching job,” he recalled. “I had found out about Great Hearts from a fellow tutor at Gateway who was a graduate of Chandler Prep.” After applying and going through the screening process, he landed an interview and teaching demonstration opportunity at Lincoln Prep for a job teaching 6th grade Math and Life Science. “It seemed like fate as my science demo was supposed to be about birds. I was offered a job the day after my demo.”

After a few shifts in teaching assignments and grade levels over the last several years, Frumkin now enjoys his hybrid teaching/administrative role on campus, adding Director of Academic Support and 504 Coordinator to his duties. “My experience as a scientist has obviously informed my understanding of the subjects that I teach, but it’s also helped me in my administrative roles because my experience with organizing and analyzingdata allows me to interpret the data we use to make intervention decisions.”

“One of my favorite things is when a student that we are supporting academically through various interventions makes a breakthrough and shows improvement. The growth in confidence in those students is a joy to see,” he shared. “When I started coordinating interventions, our program barely existed, and now we have a great system utilizing 7th hour and are continuing to sharpen our academic supports. Seeing more and more students getthe help that they need has been rewarding.”

When not teaching, he said he enjoys reading, spending time in nature, and watching sports (particularly baseball, football, and soccer). “I love to travel and spend time with my family. It’s been great to be able to spend whole summers with my son and watch him grow.”

Even with so many accomplishments under his belt, Frumkin shared that being an eagle scout still stands out for him. “Even though it was many years ago, becoming an eagle scout is still a major accomplishment for me because of all the work that I had to do as a teenager to earn the award, especially as a child that tended to be shy and quiet. I had to organize a service project, display leadership in my troop, and demonstrate all sorts of different skills over the years that I was in scouting.”

According to Headmaster Eric Tope, Frumkin’s colleagues at Lincoln Prep still adorn his desk with flamingos on his birthday each year to commemorate his now infamous published work. “Most people assume my favorite bird is the flamingo because I published the paper, but it’s actually the northern mockingbird,” he shared, but added, “I love being a part of the Lincoln faculty and staff. My colleagues are a big reason why I have stayed at [Great Hearts] for so long.”

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