“I’m Brittany McCluskey, or Mrs. McCluskey, and I teach English 10 and 10 Honors.

I noticed there’s a really strong sense of community here at Irvington, and everyone is really nice. Everyone wants to greet people and are very welcoming. There’s definitely an urge to do well academically and outside of academics. Students always want to push themselves in all categories.

I’m most nervous about learning alongside everyone I’m teaching — figuring out how the school works and how everything operates. I know there are certain points in the year that get more difficult, so it’s really about seeing how everyone navigates those challenges and learning together as we go.

At the start of the year, I try to get a sense of who each student is and continue learning about them as the year goes on — what they need and how I can help. I always try to keep it welcoming, familiar, and safe, but also productive as best as possible.

I’ve always found myself in teaching roles and knew I was meant to help others learn, which ultimately led me to teaching. For me, it’s not just about the subject matter but about encouraging students to learn about themselves, ask questions, and delve deeper.

I always like to learn more about the area that I’m in. I’ve lived in Fremont for two years now, but in the Bay Area for all my life. So I’m learning more about the city, the area, and the people in it. Working with my students directly is a big part of that.

A lot of my students already know I like Disney, but I am also a very crafty person, so I like doing a lot of crafty hobbies; like cross stitching, coloring, and a variety of different artsy things at home. 

A big project that I’ve been working on is a cross stitch that I’d been working on for a year and a half. I was only working on it when I had free time, and that wasn’t very often, but I finished and started a new one. 

One thing I would tell all my students is always, stay true to whoever you are, whatever that means, because I know it changes over time, but never feel ashamed of being yourself.

It’s been a very welcoming community, and I’m just really happy to be at Irvington.”