A conspicuous gap has made itself apparent in the English department. Coming to fill the void is Mrs. Yang, a substitute teacher who is stepping in for the absent Mrs. McGrath. While initially hesitant due to Clark’s reputation for exceptional academic performance, she has taken this opportunity to further her understanding of the school.
For the past year, Mrs. Yang has done day-to-day substitute teaching, and hopes to gain a permanent position as a full-time teacher in 2024. She has taught at a variety of different schools and is using her experiences to help her make an educated decision of where she will take her career.
Mrs. Yang has always been working in jobs related to caring for others. Her experience ranged from being a caregiver in group homes to even babysitting which led her to excel with interpersonal communication. Mrs. Yang found that teaching combined her interests of traveling and reading, and she believed that it would turn out to be a job she truly enjoyed.
After attending junior college, she transferred to Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English with a concentration in American Literature and finally received her teaching credentials in San Diego.
Mrs. Yang has had a positive influence on our students. Her friendly personality created an atmosphere of both comfort and professionalism. Junior Austin Qian, who attended Mrs. Yang’s 7th period, has had only favorable views of her. “Mrs. Yang is caring and compassionate, but she can also be firm,” Qian said.
She has positively impacted Clark, and her students have reciprocated. While Mrs. Yang started teaching because of her fondness for literature and travel, she continued to teach because of the students she came to know. “My favorite part of teaching is getting to know the kids… I actually believe I learn more from them than they do from me,” Yang said. She enjoys getting to know more about her students through the stories they tell her, and she believes that connecting with them goes hand-in-hand with literature as a large portion of it relates to human experience.
As we say goodbye to Mrs. Yang, we look forward to the next time we see her on our campus, wishing her all the best in her future endeavors.
