Alexander Rutherford

Alex was born and raised in East Tennessee, in the Appalachian Mountains. His school experience growing up was considered traditional, and through that he was able to see the limitations of such an educational setting. Luckily, his father was a fantastic Chemistry teacher at a local high school, so Alex was able to witness the positive influence that a good teacher can have on students at such an age.

After completing high school, Alexander attended the University of Tennessee where he received a B.S. in Biochemistry, Cellular, and Molecular Biology. During that time he also worked in multiple plant science and plant genetics labs working on studies that ranged in focus from types of mulch used and crop yields to DNA transformations in soybeans plants.

Upon graduation with his undergraduate degree, Alex moved to Durango, Colorado to work in a plant nursery and tree farm, growing and caring for plants of all sorts. After 3 years there, he realized his true calling was to teach science. Having made that decision, he and his wife moved to Tucson, Arizona to attend graduate school at the University of Arizona. In Tucson, Alex worked for 5 years as the 8th grade science teacher at Utterback Middle School and fell in love with teaching.

In 2025, Alex moved to Chicago to begin work as the 7th grade science teacher at Francis W. Parker School. As of 2026, he is very excited to begin his work at Bennett Day School bringing with him a range of experience in the educational field in both the public school and private school classroom. Alex has also worked to develop curriculum for middle school classrooms in conjunction with the University of Arizona Astrobiology Center and NASA. He is very excited to draw on this bank of knowledge and experience to help the students at Bennett Day School fall in love with Science!