Ms. Shaw co-teaches in English, Science, and Social Studies classes for most of the day, but her official title is Secondary Emotional Support Teacher.

To start off my interview with Ms. Shaw, I asked her it is like working at the school I graduated from, and she expressed her nostalgic feeling teaching here and how great it is to be back: “Working in the school I graduated from is surreal – to sum it up in one word. Some days I walk in the front doors, and it feels like I am in high school again, heading to my first period class. Some days I must remind myself that I can call teachers by their first name now instead of Mr. or Mrs. so and so because I am a teacher as well. It has taken a little while to get used to, that’s for sure! However, I love this school because of the people who work here and the students that make my job fun so I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

Ms. Shaw said how some little things have changed, but nothing too drastic: “The faculty and staff population has had quite a turnaround since I graduated in 2019. Some of the little things I have noticed as well have been some lunches are different, there are no Smart Boards anymore, and students don’t read all the same books I had to read when I was in school.”

Ms. Shaw said that her favorite part of teaching is seeing growth in students. Whether they learn something new that they have been working toward all year, self-regulate their emotions, or use coping skills that they practiced in her classroom, she feels pride for her students no matter what they accomplish.

Ms. Shaw says the worst part of teaching is forming friendships with students, watching them grow, and then sending them off into the world. “I am an empathetic person and I feel a sense of responsibility for their education – when they graduate or leave the school, it definitely takes me awhile to bounce back.”