Andrew Lyman-Buttler

science educator / physician in training

About me / CV

Zion Canyon Narrows, 2022Hi, I'm Andrew. I like hiking, bike touring, growing vegetables, birds, tinkering with computers, home automation, breaking things, and fixing things. I live in Saint Paul, Minnesota with my wife and son. Drop me a line at andrew@lymanbuttler.com.

I taught high school chemistry and biology for 11 years before going back to school to pursue a second career in medicine. I started this site to share some of the curriculum materials and teaching resources I developed in the hope that other teachers and students can put them to good use. There are numerous evidence-supported benefits to students of the blended assessment system I developed, but how can it help teachers?

  • I never grade papers at home.
  • I have plenty of time during the work day to set up labs, so I almost never have to stay late.
  • I spend lots of time with my friends and family, even during the school year.
  • I don't have to police for cheating because every student has a different version of the assessment.
  • I still have time to provide individualized tutoring outside of class to students that ask for it.
  • I don't have to waste time making copies, clearing paper jams, printing extras for students who lose papers, etc.
  • I can assess student work without lugging around piles of papers.
  • I don't have to deal with students losing their papers.
  • Creating makeup and retake versions of quizzes and tests is automatic and consumes no time.

Teaching is hard. I hope my online assessment resources can help make it easier.

Education

M.D. University of Minnesota Medical School, 2023
M.Ed., Science Education. University of Minnesota College of Education & Human Development, 2012
B.S., Biology. University of Minnesota College of Biological Sciences, 2005 (minors: Chemistry, Political Science)

Teaching Experience

8/2018 - 6/2019               Science Teacher, Nova Classical Academy, St. Paul, MN

  • Chemistry and 7th grade integrated science

11/2013 – 6/2018              Science Teacher, Thomas Edison High School, Minneapolis, MN

  • IB Biology, Chemistry, Physical Science
  • Improved average IB exam scores by 60% above historic baseline
  • Developed Moodle-based blended learning modules from scratch
  • Led science department in two major curriculum rewrites

 8/2009 – 11/2013             Science Teacher, The International School of Minnesota, Eden Prairie, MN

  • Chemistry, AP Biology, Adv. Biology, Biotechnology & Society, Biology
  • Created and administered Moodle site for science dept. (http://ismscience.org)
  • Designed and taught new course, Biotechnology & Society
  • Implemented College Board’s AP Biology redesign

Military Service (Army National Guard + Army Reserve)

8/2019 - present             Family Physician (61H)
5/2017 – 8/2019             Health Care Specialist (Combat Medic) (68W)
8/2002 – 9/2015             Musician (42R)

Publications, Presentations, and Creative Work

Quality Improvement Projects

  • Efficient Integration of Diabetes Management Technology in Patient Care (M Health Fairview QI Collaborative)
  • Ain't No Discharge On The Ground: Improving Post-Discharge Primary and Specialty Care Follow-Up Rates (Minneapolis VA Medical Center)

Professional Affiliations

  • American Academy of Family Physicians