Former Westside Teachers: Where Are They Now?
John White
Why did you decide to leave Westside?
I left Westside because I wanted to live abroad again. I think there is so much to be gained from living in a new country. It expands your world.
What are you doing now and where?
I am teaching Spanish at Cayman International School on the Cayman Islands.
What is the biggest difference between where you are now and Westside?
As far as a school, CIS is much smaller in terms of students. There are 500 students pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. So, much smaller in that sense. Students here wear uniforms [as well].
Are there any aspects of Westside you miss?
Absolutely. Most of all, I miss the students and other teachers. There are great students at WHS. I also miss playing basketball with the students and other teachers.
What aspects of your new job are better than your old one at Westside?
The two biggest things for me are the facts that I have two class periods a day to grade and plan. I also have significantly less supervision here. I have to supervise lunch 15 minutes a day for a week every five weeks.
How has your family adjusted to the changes of living in another country?
My children have thrived at the new school and are doing really well. They are making friends in their classes, but they definitely miss their best friends back in Omaha.
Do you plan on coming back to the USA?
First of all, I do love the Cayman Islands. Great people. Laid back. First world. But it is very expensive.
Matt Lee
Why did you decide to leave the high school?
Well, I haven’t completely left the high school yet. I’m still lecturing for A.P. Economics, so I come back once a week to lecture. The main reason I left the classroom is that there was an opportunity that opened up in the technology department, and it was something that I had been working for for a long time. I got my masters degree in instructional technology, and I’m working on my doctorate in instructional technology. The position became available in the summer so I jumped at it.
What does your new job entail?
Part of my job is that I’m in charge of Blackboard both getting students enrolled and helping teachers trouble use it. My main job though is to go around to each of the elementary schools, the middle school and the high school, to help teachers and students work on technology projects. If a teacher has an idea for a project they want to do, they’ll get a hold of me. Then, I’ll try to brainstorm ways to make that happen.
What are some of the biggest differences you have noticed between your new and old job?
At the high school, I loved it. I loved the people, I loved the students, I loved the content. Now that I’m in my new position though, I’ve found that I can work with even more people. Instead of just working at WHS, I now get to work with kindergartners through seniors. It’s kind of neat to see all the different grade levels and ability levels. It’s amazing how proficient some of the younger students are with technology, from kindergartners working on Tux Paint pictures to fourth and fifth graders doing some really cool things with iPads and QR codes to high school students using web 2.0 tools.
Is there anything you miss about being exclusively at the high school?
I do miss the camaraderie, especially in the social studies department. It was a pretty tight-knit group of teachers that we have there. And also the students I had my economics classes and U.S. history classes. I miss those things, as well as being able to dive pretty deeply into the content areas, because I’m not really teaching content anymore, I’m teaching skills and tools.
What are some of the goals you have with your new job looking into next year?
I think one of the goals we have as a technology department is to try and come up with an effective plan for technology integration. One of the things we’ve always tried to do is not just use technology for technology’s sake, you know, don’t just give somebody a laptop and say, “Oh! You have a laptop. Yay we’re great!” but to actually use it in a way that motivates students to do better, and to actually improve their learning. So the goal of this job is to work with teachers to get them comfortable with technology and to remove any barriers there might be to them using it.
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