Happy Teacher Appreciation!

While this publication might not be on the week of teacher appreciation, everyday is a perfect day to appreciate teachers. It’s important to recognize everything that our educators do for us. Because let’s be real, they don’t do it for the money, they do it because it’s a genuine calling. These are people who want to see us succeed, so it’s heartbreaking to witness the minority of punks try to terrorize. 

But for teachers feeling overwhelmed, rest assured that the majority of students see your efforts, which is exactly what we want to share.

Teachers took the road not taken by many, despite being treated like glorified babysitters all too often.

When asked why students struggle to get along with teachers even though they’re meant to be a support system, Caleb Scherger, a freshman said that it’s, “Because students don’t like their grades and they blame it on their teacher, whereas sometimes it can be their own stupidity.” 

Grades are easily the biggest stress of high school, and it goes without saying that students have negative feelings about them. When you struggle with something, it can be difficult to accept that you may have been the one at fault for the unpleasant number in the grade book. Because of this, teachers can easily end up as a scapegoat for students to avoid responsibility. 

Alternatively, Amelia McElhone, a sophomore, had a different approach. She said that “a lot of times kids just aren’t in a good mental space, waking up so early in the morning.”

The general struggle of having to drag yourself out of bed and get ready to go to school for seven hours, only to come home and have to study and do homework, definitely gives people some level of disdain for the experience. 

When there are piles of projects and assignments on your plate that will never go away until the end of the school year, the burnout and stress have to be channeled somewhere. From a student’s perspective, teachers are the ones responsible for their stress, so it’s easy to forget that they exist to help you deal with the workload. 

Thank You, from TMHS Students!

Math is a hard subject to learn, but it can be easier if you have fun. This is a quality which makes Mr. Glasser a great teacher according to Fynn Caston, a freshman in his class, when asked about a teacher that stands out to him and why. “Mr. Glasser,” Fynn answered, “because he teaches the material well, but also makes it interesting and includes comedy, which is very hard for math.” Being funny while teaching is amazing! So, kudos to Mr. Glasser! Know that your work and dedication is appreciated by your students. 

Music is sick! But it’s even cooler when you’re able to grow as an ensemble. This connection is why Mr. Ecker is one of Daryan Shaw’s favorite teacher. “One of my favorite teachers in Mr. Ecker because I have a lot of one-on-one time with him because the class I have him in is super super small, so everyone gets a lot of one-on-one scenarios where we get to grow as a small group.”

“Math isn’t my favorite subject. But I am successful when I have a teacher who wants us to be successful. So that’s why I like Ms. Elder. She has a flexible teaching style so she lets us retake formatives and summatives. And she honestly doesn’t seem like an NPC because she lets us know about her interests and nd will randomly give us financial advice because she wants us to be successful! She also recommends what math courses to take for our skill level and goals.” – A Freshman 

Did you know that reading can be any process of decoding for inferences! That is what a freshman in Ms. Halboth’s English 9 learned this year. “At the start of the year I absolutely hated English. But then Ms. Halboth was like you can read Legos! And so my world was shook. And Ms. Halboth is just the sweetest, most awesomest teacher in the world because she’s a nerd like me, for real!” Building connections is truly what makes a teacher an educator. They’re so wise! So, why wouldn’t we want to talk to them.

“I feel like teachers really do help us grow,” Daryan continued. “You know they’re not just doing their job to get paid, they wouldn’t be a teacher if they didn’t love being around kids and love what they do. Don’t think of teachers and counselors or anybody in the building as someone who doesn’t care about you because they wouldn’t be here if they didn’t.”

Daryan gave some very true insight. One does not become a teacher overnight! Teaching requires at least an undergraduate degree with completion of an additional teacher licensure program as well as completing unpaid internships for student teaching!

“At the end of the day teachers go home and know they did a good job for kids,” Fynn pointed out, which was reflected by Lydia Coleman’s comments, too.

“I love Ms. Honn,” Lydia commented. “She is such a great teacher and person in general and she knows how to handle people who aren’t respectful and is just a cool person! Mr. Anaya is just a very cool well rounded person who is passionate about teaching and cares about his students and treats everyone as an equal. And then Mr. Otterson never fails to make the class laugh and lets us know what’s acceptable behavior. He’s a great teacher and is very passionate about what he does. Ms. Jaster is just so sweet and kind, too, and she really lets us take our time and find our own way to learn things, and just respects us so much.”

Having a dedicated, caring, and compassionate teacher can make life just a little bit easier. “Miss Malone is basically a gentle parent to all the delinquents in class. She’s even nice to the people who aren’t nice to her, and I appreciate that since that level of dedication is hard to come by,” said freshman Ann Fields. 

However, Ann isn’t the only person who has a deep level of respect for Miss Malone. “Miss Katie (Malone) is an incredible advocate for her students’ needs,” stated sophomore Cali Weber. “She always tries to help everyone in any way she can and does her best to guide her students to the path of success.” It’s easy to say that Miss Malone deserves a standing ovation for her kindness, compassion, and dedication to being the best educator she can be.

It’s really obvious that you teachers care about your students!

And of course you do! I mean, you aren’t here for the pay.

Every high school teacher here has worked so hard for us, and we appreciate it so much. We’re truly lucky to have you working with us, and we hope you all have the amazing and restful summer you deserve!

Sincerely,
The 2023 Cub Reporter Staff

Amelia McElhone, Editor-in-Chief
Camila Gutierrez, Media Manager
Tessa Strnad, Community Lead
Kathryn Kozisek, Event Lead
Ann Fields, Art Department
Sadie Simmons, Columnist
Jess Hidalgo Fierro, Columnist