“I started teaching at Irvington in Fall 1994, and my first impression was that it was a little bit smaller than other schools since I did my student teaching at Berkeley High School and they had over 2000 students compared to Irvington’s 1400.

I think that students seem more immersed in the competitive Bay Area culture at Irvington today than before, and they seem more concerned about their GPA compared to when I first started teaching. People have always wanted good grades, but I did notice that it became significant to attach points to something if students were to value it. It’s possible that students became more extrinsically motivated. 

I think student culture, however, is about the same. The rallies have definitely gotten even more organized, though, and we have better technology, so the performance value has increased. Even though the rallies are better, I think students are more spirited when I first started compared to now. 

Technology has changed a lot at Irvington. It took a while for every teacher to have a computer in our own classrooms. For a while I would use it for email, but I couldn’t use it for presentations since there were no LCD projectors. Everything was done on film and with slides. Sometimes, if I didn’t have an image of a certain painting that I wanted to show students, I would take a picture of it on film out of a book, and then go to the camera store to have the film developed. Everything took longer; it was harder and more expensive. Technology has really helped my teaching ability. Even just this year, I got a document camera, which I’ve needed for a while, and it has revolutionized my live demonstrations in class.

Another factor that changed a lot is the club scene at Irvington. We used to have a step club that was run by the dance teacher Linda Jackson. They used to put on amazing performances at rallies, which included hip hop dances. The Black Student Union was also strong here. The club promoted black culture and always made a big effort through Black History Month to go on to the announcements and share interesting facts about people of color. We definitely still have many cultural clubs on campus, but that’s one that faded away. 

One thing that hasn’t changed is that I’m still able to form connections and bond with my students. Usually by the time many of my students are seniors, we have formed a closer relationship, and then they leave. But it always means alot to me if I bump into them somewhere in town, or if they reach out on social media.

Irvington has brought me so many good memories, and I even met my husband here. He was working as a substitute teacher here, and he came by my classroom and asked if he could have my phone number. Next thing you know, we’ve been married for 27 years. 

I got into this profession because of my love for art, but I stayed in it for my love of young people. It’s one of the greatest joys to work with teenagers. They make me laugh and give me so much hope every day.”