School questions

Question
QUESTION: Hi, I am a ninth grade student at Dorman High School. I have been asked to research a science job and interview an expert. My first question would be on average, how much does a biologist make each year? My second question is how do you use science to do your job? Last, what are the pros vs. cons in your workplace. Also, please include some interesting details about your job.
         Thanks

ANSWER: There are so many jobs that work with or around biology that is a hard question to answer.  I would say that someone with a degree in Biology could look for a salary between $25-150k/year.  Obviously, more school/degrees equals more money.  I have a 4 year degree and teach Biology in FL (not a good state to be a teacher) and here teachers start at about $35k/year.  I've seen jobs for Biologist working in the fishing industry, conservation, and restoration fields where starting salaries were $80k+.  Many Doctors start off majoring in Cell Biology so $$$ is wide open.  

Using science is of course part of the job.  I use it in ways from simply teaching the scientific method to helping students learn the form and fuction of the human body by dissecting rats.

The pros of my job would be the great schedule and working with kids who want to learn.  The cons would be the pay and working with kids who don't.  Another con would be the regulations passed down by law makers that know nothing about teaching.

We dissect 9 different animals in class each year and sometimes I do "Survivor Style" tests where there are both mental and physical challenges.  It's fun to watch a cheerleader eat a cricket for 5 extra points!  

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Could you please name all the animals you dissect and also go over the procedures you do for the dissection? Your last answer was great!

Answer
Earthworms, squid, crayfish, grasshoppers, starfish, frogs, pigeons, rats, sheep hearts and brains.

I let the kids learn by doing.  They are required to dissect each animal, learn parts of them, (I give them guides-pictures and instructions), and then they come up one at a time to point to and name a required number of parts on each thing.