This Year's New Teachers

by KAREN STEELE

This year, three new teachers have joined Mac-Hi. During this last month, I had a chance to sit down with them: Mr. Lynn in the Language Arts Department, Mrs. Giguiere in the Science Wing, and Ms. Johnson in our Gym as a P.E. teacher.

A former English teacher in Korea, Mr. Eric Lynn is excited to teach English 12 and Journalism. He has high hopes for his classes and has not been disappointed so far. He plans to create a creative environment to help students want to invest in their work and be proud of their writing. "Do work that matters," he said passionately.

One thing that made our school stand out from the other high schools where he applied was the students. Despite its small size, he said that the diversity was impressive and intriguing. The high percentage of students from Hispanic backgrounds provides an opportunity to learn more about the culture, "and practice my Spanish," Lynn admitted.

During our conversation, he said he was quite impressed so far by the students, their work ethic and their desire to do well. Whether or these students pursue college or directly join the workforce, he hopes to instill a lifelong passion for reading and writing. And, he added, have lifelong affairs with novels.

Michelle Giguiere has always loved high school, so much that she decided to continue going to high school for the rest of her life. Some of the best parts of teaching, she said, are being able to share what she has learned, and getting to “witness the 'A-ha!' moment with students when they finally understand the topic.” An interesting factoid: our new 9th-grade Science teacher used to play goalkeeper in competitive soccer for twelve years. “This led to three concussions,” she confided. Besides being able to have her own classroom, Giguiere is excited to work with the “wonderful staff and awesome students” this year, having been a substitute before having this position.

Although she has high, but attainable, expectations for her students, she believes that they will do their best. She expects her students to come to class prepared and ready to learn with an open mind. By the end of the year, she hopes that her students will have developed a love for science, pursue a science career, and “laugh at a few of [her] dumb jokes.”

Kam Johnson is new to McLoughlin, but not new to teaching. You may recognize her from Central Middle School, where she still teaches 8th Grade P.E. A lifelong sports fan, she said that her influence came from growing up in an active family, specifically mentioning her two older brothers. Working back and forth between two schools makes Johnson's schedule a little hectic, but she said it's worth it to see past students growing and maturing into young adults.

Ms. Johnson confided that, in fact, the best part about teaching P.E. is being able to “wear shorts and tennis shoes all day.” If it weren't for the big impact that sports had on her in her early life, she would have been tempted to be a band teacher. She enjoyed playing the piano growing up, and most of the brass instruments, like the trumpet, baritone, and trombone, explaining the impact both music and athletics has had on her life.

All three of these new teachers have high hopes for all of the students at McLoughlin, and want to make this year the best that this school has seen.