David Joy is first and foremost a dad to 3 incredible girls, and married to an amazing woman. He and his family love to spend time outdoors in pretty much any kind of adventure. As a family they have experienced the numerous benefits to be had from time spent in the outdoors. They all have a passion for enjoying and protecting nature in all places and in all forms.
David is also a secondary science teacher in Weber School District (Earth & Space Science, Physics, and 8th Grade Integrated Science) located in Ogden, Utah. He has been teaching for 16 years in several different settings, such as rural, suburban, Title 1, and affluent. He is also a coach for high school cross country and track & field.
In 2012 he earned a M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction, focusing on science education and gender inequality. In 2020 he went on to earn a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction, focusing on outdoor education and social justice. His hope is to use his learning and research to get ALL kids outside more often, especially improving access for under-resourced and under-represented groups.
He has been fortunate enough to be able to share what he has learned with other teachers by presenting at conferences for several different organizations such as ISTE, NSTA, UCET, the UtSTA, and of course, USEE. He loves being able to try and inspire other teachers to try new things to improve their practice, especially getting them and their students outside and reconnecting with nature.