Olson hopes her class is more like a book club and less like a lecture hall

TS: “What classes do you teach here?”

O: “I teach Pre-Ap English one and Pre-Ap English two.”

TS: “How long have you known you wanted to be an English teacher?”

O: “Forever, but I was a business major freshman year. It went very poorly, so I switched. I knew going into college I wanted to be a teacher, and decided to make a difference instead of make money. At least I’ll be happy, because I really enjoy what I’m doing.”

TS: “What did you do before you came to McCallum?”

O: “I went to University of Pittsburgh then got my master’s at Texas State. I was an English Literature major, and I have a certificate in children’s literature. My favorite class was 19^th century Russian literature because I read things I probably never read and enjoyed on my own and I feel like I learned a lot. It’s hard for Texas State students to get student teacher opportunities in Austin because of UT, but I was able to come here and I just loved it here.”

TS: “What’s it like working at McCallum?”

O: “I never thought I would get the job. It’s like the dream. I found out two weeks into my student teaching that there was going to be a job opening, so I made sure to impress everyone I knew. I worked really hard, and I just wanted to be considered. I never thought for a second I would get this job.”

TS: “What is your favorite part about McCallum? What’s your least favorite part?”

O: “I love how there’s not one type of kid who goes here. It seems to me that everyone gets along, and everyone likes it here. Even though it’s not like High School Musical, like I thought it would be, it’s pretty close. I’m really excited to have my own students. It doesn’t feel real. It’s weird to think that this is my classroom, and that these are my students.”

TS: “How does McCallum remind you of your own high school experience?”

O: “I didn’t go to high school in America, so everything I know about American high school is what I saw on TV. I went to the American school of Doha in Qatar. It’s pretty much the same. I took AP classes over there. We lived over there for seven years for my dad’s job.”

TS: “Last year you were Mrs. Northcutt’s student teacher. How has that experience affected you as a teacher and what have you learned from her? What do you think you have to figure out on your own?”

O: “I feel like everything I learned was from Mrs. Northcutt. She is my teaching idol. I’m looking forward to second semester when it’s going to be the second time I’m doing this. I saw [Mrs. Northcutt’s classes] second semester, so she had already trained you all to do exactly what she wanted. Now I have to learn how to do the training, like how to get class discussions to where I want them to be. I learned teaching goals from Mrs. Northcutt, but right now I’m figuring out as I go the process.”

TS: “What would you say your teaching style is?”

O: “I like my students to tell me what they’ve discovered rather than me telling them my interpretations. English class should be more like a book club than me just telling them. I feel like when [the information] comes from the English teacher, students think that it is the right answer and they have the wrong answer. My teaching philosophy is as long as you can prove it to me, you can also have the right answer. Literature is subjective.”

TS: “If there was one thing you could change or make better about the English program at McCallum, what would it be?”

O: “I would change some of the books we read. I wish we did Lord of the Flies and Fahrenheit 451. Fahrenheit 451 was the first book I read in high school that really resonated with me. I was one of the first books that made me think literature was cool. I’d like to give that experience to my students.”

TS: “How do you think you can help your students learn?”

O: “The district is doing an independent reading program. I’m pretty excited about it because it will give students the opportunity to find a book that they love. A lot of teachers aren’t sure how they feel about it, but I’m excited. The district is donating 300 books to us, and we are being required to have independent reading time in class. Teachers are supposed to conferences about reading with all the students. It’s a lot of work, but I feel like students can find something to read that they like. I’m finally given the opportunity to talk with each kid and find out what book will get [them] to read. The love of reading starts with one book, and it opens up this whole world of reading.”

TS: “What’s your favorite book?”

O: “Catcher in the Rye. Every time I read it it’s a very different experience. I always get something new out of it.”

TS: “What do you think about the new bell schedule?”

O: “I never know what I’m doing, I never know when class ends. The Fridays make planning very challenging. That extra 15 minutes makes a big difference, but I’d rather go later than start earlier.”