Alicia McGraw
Alicia McGraw is a science teacher at South and has been teaching at South for two years. She is currently teaching physics for freshmen.
How was your first year at South compared to your initial expectations?
“My first impression of South was that students are funnier than I expected. I was really happy with the student focus and the behaviors that the students have.”
What did you do before teaching at South?
“I taught at Springfield High School for 21 years.”
What have you liked most about South so far?
“The students always have questions, they help each other, they’re good neighbors to each other. I really appreciate that, and they always look out for each other.”
Do you have any goals for your second year at South?
“To teach students how to apply stuff that they learn in the classroom in real life.”
What’s your favorite part of being a teacher?
“It’s very challenging, but I get to learn all the different sciences and I love science. It always reminds me of how to handle things in the world.”
Bri Martinez
Did you know anything about South before coming here?
Yes, I knew some. I had volunteered and subbed for IOP for many years, so last year was fun to like, do it long term and be there every day. And so, this year, it’s kinda similar to last year although we’re trying to do some new things and different things, and so it’s like we’re having to figure new things out and stuff. I don’t know if I’m great for interviews, honestly. I’m imagining you trying to put this in an article, it seems like maybe it would be hard.
Is this your first teaching job?
No, I taught fifth grade for one year in Issaquah. And then I subbed for nine years in the 4j district.
What has south’s atmosphere been like?
Um… Kind? Fun? I think in IOP we kind of create our own vibe a little bit, so we try and you know, have a lot of fun.
What is your favorite part of being a teacher?
Passing on experiences and information that have made a big impact on my own life, to other people.
Jenny Jackson
How was your first year at South compared to your initial expectations?
Well, I didn’t really know what to expect–I’ve never worked in a high school this big. My first year, I think someday I’m gonna look back on it and laugh, because it was very crazy. I started week five, my co-teacher, after three weeks of me being here, had a surgery and was gone for four months. He also got Covid like three days into my teaching. So I was really thrown to the wolves, but I had a lot of fun and my co-teacher said, ‘It doesn’t get much crazier than this for a first year’, so I think I’ll look back and be like ‘Wow! That was hard and it doesn’t have to be that nuts.’
What did you do before teaching at South?
I have had a lot of different jobs, but they’ve always involved people and the outdoors, whether it be like, guiding people on trips, or working in alternative schools and getting kids outside. I’ve worked with formerly incarcerated adults, I did recreation and, outdoor recreation with them, I’ve done trailbuilding, so… I have a Masters in Adventure Education, so all of those experiences kind of set me up to work here. And so I’ve taught before, but not in a school like this. I’ve taught like, small schools.
What have you liked most about South so far?
Well, there’s never a dull moment. I am officially on my one year anniversary of working here and I still can’t totally find my way around the school. It’s like a small city, and I like that, I like that there’s so much going on and I find it really exciting. And the staff who I’ve met so far I think are really great. The staff here, they’ve been supportive and I think it’s got really solid leadership. Since I started it seems like that’s really good in admin, and I feel like I’m trusted in what I’m doing here.
Do you have any goals for your second year at South?
Oh yeah, my goals are to create a curriculum that I can reuse next year. Kind of hodgepodged it all together last year, this year we’re working way overtime just trying to dial in a really solid skill-based program. So that next year we can just tweak it a little and we’re not reinventing this whole thing.
What is your favorite part of being a teacher?Oh, I love high school age students. I love all kids, but I’ve mostly worked with high school and I’m really inspired, working with juniors and seniors, I get really inspired and excited about seeing where they’re trying to go in their life. Being one little source of support in trying to help launch people and give them those final, last bits of skills as juniors and seniors to launch out of here successfully. And I just feel really comfortable teaching, and I’m teaching things I’m passionate about, but I’m not a traditional teacher, right? Like, we just rode our bikes and went rock climbing, and read poetry while we were there. It just fits me, and I just believe in the kids. And I worked a lot with alternative, at-risk youth, so there’s some of those that end up here and I get really drawn towards them too.
Tom Ellis
How was your first year at South compared to your initial expectations?
It was a great first year, I think. I settled in really nicely. I’ve worked here as a sub before, so no expectations—I knew what I was getting into and how the school worked. I know a lot of kids in the district, and the new ninth graders I’ve seen before in middle school, so it was a pretty easy transition.
What did you do before teaching at South?
Before teaching at South, I was a sub in the district, and then I was a stay at home dad during the pandemic. Before that I worked at a middle school in a rural town in Oregon for a few years, and before that I was teaching in Australia.
What have you liked most about South so far?
I like the culture here. The students are really great, and the fellow staff is as well. It’s a really nice place to work.
Do you have any goals for your second year at South?
Just to keep moving on what we got done first. I think the first year was great. All the students really progressed well in their classes, and if we could just build on that, it would be great.
What’s your favorite part of being a teacher?
You never know what’s going to happen each day. I like the dynamic nature of the job; it’s kind of nice that it’s unpredictable, and it’s never boring.
The Axe 