Ms. Sella Simonian

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 teacher. She studied political science at UCLA and originally thought she might work in political campaigns, until eventually she realized that path did not feel right for her. Her mom, who worked in schools as a teacher’s aide, encouraged her to try working in a classroom. After visiting one of her former high school teachers, Ms. Simonian noticed the energy of the students and how much she enjoyed being around them. Since she already loved history, teaching history started to feel like the right fit.

Although she originally thought she would teach high school, she ended up teaching 6th grade, and now she cannot imagine doing anything else. She described 6th graders as funny, thoughtful, energetic, and still young enough to be excited about school. She loves that they are curious, honest, and full of opinions. She also said that 6th graders still have a strong sense of right and wrong, which makes her classroom conversations meaningful.

One of the biggest parts of Ms. Simonian’s teaching philosophy is making history feel alive. She shared that when she was younger, history was not her favorite subject. It was not until college, when she took art history classes, that history became exciting to her. Her professor used visuals, artifacts, and primary sources to teach, and that completely shifted her view on the subject of history. Now, Ms. Simonian brings that same approach into her own classroom, as she uses maps, images, documents, stories, and creative projects to help students understand ancient civilizations in a way that feels real.

I had Ms. Simonian during the fully online and hybrid year because of COVID-19, which made learning very different from a normal school year. Even through Zoom, she still found ways to make history engaging. I still remember the maps, visuals, and activities we did online. For her, virtual learning was one of the biggest challenges of her career. She already knew the content, but turning everything into a digital format was difficult and unfamiliar. Still, she adjusted quickly and stayed true to herself as a teacher, even through a screen.

Another memorable part of Ms. Simonian’s classroom is her sense of humor and the traditions she has built. One of the most well-known traditions is her class pet, Stumpy. Stumpy started as a simple drawing during a lesson on natural selection, but students became attached to him, and he eventually became a classroom mascot. She also starts class with “Ahoy hoy,” which adds to the fun and welcoming feeling of her room. These small traditions show how she creates a classroom culture that students remember long after they leave.

For Ms. Simonian, the most rewarding part of teaching is hearing from former students. When students come back and tell her that they love history because of her class, she sees that as the best and most rewarding compliment. She said that parents can say kind things, but hearing it directly from students means the most. One of her proudest moments was hearing from a parent that she was the reason their child wanted to come to school, as moments like that remind her why teaching matters.

Ms. Simonian also believes that history should connect to students’ lives today. When she teaches about events from thousands of years ago, she tries to show how those ideas still affect the present. Sometimes lessons about ancient civilizations lead to conversations about money, choices, technology, or how our actions can affect the future. To her, teaching history is not just about memorizing the past, instead it is about helping students understand the world around them.

What stands out most about Ms. Simonian is how much she genuinely loves teaching. She loves the students, the stories, the creativity, and the energy of the classroom. She has spent 20 years helping students see history as something exciting and meaningful. For me, having her during such an unusual school year showed me how much a teacher’s personality, effort, and care can still come through, even online. Ms. Simonian made ancient history memorable, and more importantly, she showed how powerful a great teacher can be.