The year is coming to an end, and with that, we say goodbye to our favorite teachers, the ones that taught us the most memorable lessons. They stayed with their students through the roughness of finals and the excitement of new mornings, and in doing so, they learn about our lives and how to connect with us.
English teacher Leticia Naviaux has had a very long and experienced career. Every year, she starts over with new students to teach and guide, and she always finds the best way to deal with chaos to protect her students inside the classroom.
“I was working during 9/11 and at the time, we didn’t want to cause stress on the students, because obviously we didn’t know what was happening, and there was misinformation being put out by the media,” Naviaux said.
Naviaux believes that students have gotten way too comfortable, and phones are limiting students from their full potential.
“We had to do research. Everything in books and papers,” Naviaux said. “Technology right now has made it a lot easier for students to take shortcuts.”
Naviaux recommends students not to get too discouraged on missing out experiences in high school because what truly builds your character is what you choose to do after.
“Your college years are the best of your life,” Naviaux said. “It’s where you build social skills, is where you are meeting the friends that you’re going to have later on life, making those connections.”
She advises students to look out for others and reminds that a little genuine kindness can go a long way.
“Sometimes what they’re [students] saying has a deeper underlying meaning than what they’re actually telling you,” Naviaux said.
Spanish teacher Sandra Gardella wants students to know how stressful and demanding teaching is and for students to know that behind every simple lesson, there’s challenging difficulties for teachers.
“[I want students to know] how hard the teachers work to make lesson[s],” Gardella said. “How much time we spend grading and working and worrying about the next day.”
Gardella’s biggest advice is to remind students in the process of achieving their full potential, they must first go through mistakes and try as many times as they need to, and that’s okay.
Economics teacher Dave Robinson wishes he had more of a financial background when he was younger to take the most advantage of his opportunities.
“There are a lot of financial topics that I wish I had known earlier,” Robinson said. “How to save and invest, budgeting, the basics of credit and credit cards all would have made a difference.”
Robinson wants to tell students nothing but their own actions will end up affecting them, so make the best and most responsible choices while they can.
“You are going to have greater responsibility for your learning,” Robinson said. “No one is going to send you reminders about the due dates… Failure is an option and many people experience it.”
