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Ms. Simonian, my 6th grade ancient civilizations teacher, has been teaching for 20 years at South Pasadena Middle School. After talking with her, it is clear that teaching is not just her job, but her classroom is like her second home. Even after school, she often stays in her room for hours, finishing work, preparing lessons, or just enjoying the space she has built over the years. What makes Ms. Simonian’s story so interesting is that she did not always plan on becoming a t

Mrs. Wunder was my 7th grade Life Science teacher, but what I remember most about her isn’t just the science content, but it’s the way she made school feel like a place where you mattered. Mrs. Wunder described teaching as something always about relationships, safety, and giving her students a comfortable environment for learning and to be themselves. When I asked Mrs. Wunder what inspired her to become a teacher, she shared something deeply personal. She explained that she h

Some teachers don’t just teach a subject, instead they teach you how to learn, how to handle a challenge, and how to believe you’re capable even when something feels hard at first. That’s exactly what my eighth grade Spanish teacher, Señora León, did for me. I still remember how rigorous her class felt in middle school. It honestly shocked my classmates and I at first, because it was more intense than all of our other middle school classes. But as we talked, it became clear w

When I think back to seventh-grade Honors Math, I don’t just remember the numbers on the board or the feeling of trying to get an answer to finally work out. I remember Ms. Bryson, a teacher who made math feel like something you could understand, not something you were either “good” or “bad” at. Ms. Bryson is now retired, but after talking with her, it’s so clear that teaching was never just her job, but it was who she was as a person. During our interview, Ms. Bryson laughed