With the second quarter underway, Wired checked in on new teacher Katie Claus to see how her year was going. Now that she is in the swing of things, Claus recognizes that even the most thorough preparation does not always lead to seamless classes.

“I didn’t really have an idea of what I should be preparing for until I jumped in, so, getting into the routine of meeting with my Spanish 1 team and my Spanish 4 Honors team weekly kind of sets the tone for my preparation of the week,” Claus said.

Claus also quickly figured out that changes needed to be made depending on the  class.

“I guess always having a back up plan for my lesson plans because you never know how a lesson is going to work mod-to-mod is the biggest challenge,” Claus said. “Sometimes I am left with five extra minutes at the end of class and sometimes I go over.”

Claus enjoys the environment she teaches in.

“I’m glad that my Honors classes are comfortable around me and will give me feedback right away,” Claus said.

Claus’ favorite part of Westside is the people she interacts with every day.

“I love my students and colleagues,” Claus said. “I work on some great teams. There is a structure to it and I never feel alone to just kind of go by myself so everybody is looking out for everybody and I love that.”