You might think Charles Piety is your ordinary Chemistry teacher, but his incredible journey including experience working in meteorology, his time as a research scientist, and his service in the military is anything but ordinary.

“I joined the navy and did four years on board the USS Guadalcanal. And there I was a meteorologist and oceanographer,” Piety said.

Piety initially wanted to become an air traffic controller but was considered medically unqualified because of his lazy eye, and this event led him into a career in science.

“First I worked on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier for a while, and then I did on the job training to learn meteorology and become a meteorologist,” Piety explained.

So now knowing what he wanted to do, Piety left the Navy to attend the University of Maryland and pursue chemistry. After achieving a Bachelor’s degree at Maryland he continued to the Georgia Institute of Technology to get a master’s degree in physical and analytical chemistry.

“After Georgia Tech… I was hired by the Department of Ocean, Atmospheric, and Oceanic Sciences at the University of Maryland to be a research scientist,” Piety said.

After 10 years at this job Piety, with a newly born child, decided to settle into a stay-at-home dad role. However he still wanted to work in the science field, and that’s when the perfect opportunity came up. Piety wasn’t a good student in high school and struggled through his classes, he says when he joined the Navy he “learned to love learning.” Now, needing a job closer to home, the chance to teach kids what he wished he had known as a student was available.

“I needed to do something, and so on a leap of faith, I decided to become a teacher. And it was the best decision I ever made,” Piety said.