Eric Moes
STEM Teacher, Visual Arts Teacher
University of California, Berkeley, BA
email: eric.moes [at] sonomaacademy.org
phone: (707) 545-1770 x3424
University of California, Berkeley, BA
email: eric.moes [at] sonomaacademy.org
phone: (707) 545-1770 x3424
Eric has worked in many jobs, and he says, “Teaching is the hardest job, but it’s also the most rewarding. It’s 90 percent planning and 100 percent improv!” It was Eric’s wife, current Director of Academic Services Oona McKnight, who brought him to Sonoma Academy to teach an Architecture exploratory in 2008. Here, Eric saw that the teachers were having fun doing their jobs; this inspired him to go back to school and get his teaching credential at Sonoma State University, and the rest is history!
Eric was born in Southern California, and he moved to Santa Rosa at a young age and was raised here. He graduated from Montgomery High School (30 years later, he would go on to start his teaching career there!). After high school, Eric went on to study at UC Berkeley, earning a degree in architecture. Following graduation, he went into the Peace Corps, serving in the Philippines for three years. He was fully immersed in the culture, and learned to speak Cebuano. When he came back to the US in the mid ‘90’s, Eric says it was “a completely different world.” He hadn't heard of the internet or even turned on a computer during his whole time in the Peace Corps!
Following the Peace Corps, Eric worked in architecture, first designing high schools and colleges, then building homes for contractors. After the 2008 recession, he became an energy consultant, advising people on how to make homes more energy efficient, igniting his interest in science and geology. In 2015 he went back to school to receive his teaching credential in Biology and Earth Sciences and launch his new career.
Eric began working as a part time teacher at SA in 2017. He taught summer camps, Maker exploratories, and visual arts, and he also helped with transportation for student athletes. He now is a full-time teacher in STEM (Architecture, Intro to Engineering) and Visual Arts. His favorite part of his day is when he is teaching and things are flowing well; “some teaching methods don't work for all students, and so you have to consistently try to adjust and improve,” he says.
For Eric, what sets Sonoma Academy apart from other schools he’s worked at is a sense of community and the desire to make sure that everyone is included. He believes that because of our small community and great leadership, there is truly a place for every student at SA. “Being a teacher is great, period, but working at SA is very supportive and positive,” he says.
“Teaching is the hardest job, but it’s also the most rewarding. It’s 90 percent planning and 100 percent improv!”
Sonoma Academy Is...
...the only private, independent, college preparatory high school in Sonoma County. On our beautiful campus nestled at the base of Taylor Mountain in Southeastern Santa Rosa, our students are able to explore their interests and passions in a rigorous and inspiring environment that develops a lifelong love of learning and prepares them for college and beyond.
Sonoma Academy admits students of any race, color, religion, ethnicity or national origin, citizenship, gender or gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, or disability, to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. The school does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, ethnicity or national origin, citizenship, gender or gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, or disability in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and tuition assistance programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.
