I was able to interview Mrs. Shaw earlier this week, who teaches Hip Hop Literature, African American History in the 20th Century, and US History Honors for 11th graders at Santaluces High School. She was also a past World History teacher for the 2020-2021 school year, and she has been teaching for 4 years now. She actually was my teacher for World History (9th grade), Hip Hop Literature (11th grade), and African American History of the 2nd century (11th grade), and now I am her student aid (12th grade). She didn’t always think of being a high school teacher; her childhood dream job was to actually be a police officer. Her dream job as a high schooler was to get her cosmetology license for hair but then snapped back to reality once she realized she couldn’t do hair. Her dream job as a college student was to be a social worker, and she got a Bachelors in Sociology and Societal Issues so she could help others.
She chose to be a high school teacher because of how much more mature high schoolers are compared to younger kids and since she feels like high school is very important for the next step of a person’s life. It is very important to get ready for the next level after high school, and that is why she teaches. She also knows that it is hard to transfer from high school to the real world, and she says, “No one prepares for the reality after high school.” As you can see, she did not always want to be a teacher, more specifically a history teacher at that.
She knows her high school experience was very different from ours. She says, “My experience was fun, but I also wasn’t stressed out, and I was a very studious student, and my studies were funny.” She knows how important studies are in school and how important it is to have teachers and mostly present teachers. She knows from experience, and she states, “I and my whole class had to retake Spanish 2 because we didn’t have a teacher for the whole year and were forced to redo the course.” This shows how one person with a title can affect your credits, and this shows the importance of a present teacher, which is what Mrs. Shaw is.
There are also some things you may not have known about Mrs. Shaw. One thing is she used to go by Ms. Finkley just last year, but she got married and now goes by Mrs. Shaw. Mrs. Shaw is also a sponsor for the club at Santaluces called BSU (Black Student Union). She also has a dog named Scooby.
How you are raised does determine the kind of person you are, and Mrs. Shaw believes so as well, knowing the difference between her and her brother. She says, “Since they were more strict on her and taught her more skills to prepare her for her future, it helped her be the person she is today.” She also knows how hard it is to live in society, so she does have advice for high schoolers who need help. Her advice is, “To keep going even when times get tough, and if you ever need that self-care day to take it, don’t forget to turn back to reality.” Sometimes you do need a break, and she understands that, but it’s important to always remember when to get back. She knows how important students are and how important our mental health is to succeeding.
