Teacher Spotlight: Ms. Sample

Ms. Sample is a kind and helpful teacher who does so much for our school. She is not only a history teacher, but she is also involved in Student Council, the Prom Committee, and many other activities throughout the school. She is always willing to help students and teachers with whatever they need and is someone you can always count on. She puts a great deal of time and effort into making our school a better place, and we truly appreciate everything she does for our students and school community.

1. What’s something about teaching that surprised you when you first started?

“How much teaching can feel like performing on a stage! You have to keep your students interested and engaged, and I’ve honestly found that doing theater in high school prepared me for teaching in ways I never expected.”

2. What inspired you to become a teacher?

“There were really two things. My senior-year history teacher, Mr. King, was a huge inspiration. I loved how excited and engaged he was every day. It was a 7 a.m. Holocaust Studies/Modern Conflicts class, so keeping a room full of seniors interested that early was not an easy task! He was unconventional and different from many of the teachers I’d had before, and he made you genuinely want to be in his class. He showed me the kind of teacher I wanted to be. To quote him, ‘Crazy teachers make crazy teachers.’

“After I graduated, I also joined the directing team for my high school’s drama club. I spent four days a week working with those students for hours at a time, and that experience helped me realize that high school was the age group I wanted to teach.”

3. What reminds you of God’s faithfulness?

“My students. My life and career didn’t necessarily follow the path I originally planned, but I’m constantly reminded through my students that sometimes where you end up is exactly where you’re meant to be.”

4. What’s a Bible verse you go back to when you’re overwhelmed?

“Luke 12:27–28 — ‘Consider how the wildflowers grow.’”

5. What’s a lesson about respect you wish every student understood?

“That respect can look different for different people. Everyone has different boundaries, and part of respecting someone is learning what those boundaries are and being willing to honor them.”

6. What’s a funny memory from your teaching career?

“It’s so hard to choose just one! One year in AP Government, we started putting students ‘on trial’ for the silliest things—talking during class, making random comments, giving certain answers, and basically anything else we decided was an offense. I’d ask the class, ‘Guilty or not guilty?’ We’d vote, I’d bang my gavel, and then we’d move on as if nothing had happened.”

7. What’s something your students do that makes you laugh?

“The completely random things they say! I keep a collection of funny quotes from my students, and some of them still make me laugh years later.”

8. What’s something most people don’t know about you?

“Growing up, I collected stuffed cows! It started with a stuffed cow named Mooie that my aunt gave me when I was born. He became my favorite stuffed animal and childhood best friend, and eventually my cow collection grew to well over 100.”

9. What brings you fulfillment in teaching?

“Seeing my students genuinely become interested in history and knowing they feel comfortable in my classroom. I love when they keep asking questions or want to talk about something we’ve learned even after the lesson is over.

“I also love that they feel comfortable coming into my room just to check in, tell me about their day, or vent when they need to. Knowing my classroom can be a place where they’re excited to learn but also feel welcome and cared for means a lot to me.”

10. How do you want to impact the people around you?

“I hope people leave interactions with me feeling a little better than they did before. Maybe I made them laugh, encouraged them when they needed it, or simply gave them someone to talk to.”

11. What’s your biggest pet peeve?

“Side conversations while I’m teaching! If I have to compete for your attention, at least give me a fighting chance.”

12. If you weren’t a teacher, what career would you choose?

“Probably a sign language interpreter or a museum curator! Becoming a sign language interpreter was actually my original plan when I first started college.”