“…I did study Broadcast Journalism so I was going to be a news reporter…after working in the industry for a few years…you see how sad the stories are and everything’s bad and gloomy. After a while of that…I just kind of realized—I felt like I would make a bigger difference in the classroom.”

In the nine years Mrs. Rideout has been a teacher, she has only taught middle school: Willow Glen Middle School for six years, a public charter school in Prescott, Arizona for a year and another public charter school in Denver, Colorado for two years. Not only is this her first time teaching high school students as a new teacher, but this is also her first time using many of the learning platforms that Silver Creek students use on a daily basis. “It’s just very overwhelming. It’s almost like every day, here’s a new tool to use and here’s a new website and you’re just, now I have 15 to choose from and I only know how to use two,” she says.

Although Mrs. Rideout has some struggles, she does have a co-worker she can count on. Rideout explains, “…one of the things that drew me to Silver Creek in particular, is the English teacher Mrs. Lopez. She’s actually my sister-in-law…When she moved to Silver Creek, she kept raving about it. She just loves it there so much; she said the kids are wonderful, the staff are wonderful…and all these great things I’d always hear about it.” 

When it comes to learning math, many students expect a lot from their teachers. Especially since Math I and Math II are the foundations of our future math classes. However, Mrs. Rideout feels no pressure taking on this role, “I’ll take it as an honor. It’s like, it’s my honor to get these kids prepared for Advanced Math, because I never want anyone to leave my class not feeling prepared for the next course.”

After spending so many hours with students, there will certainly be times when a student would inspire Mrs. Rideout. Students who would remind her not to be afraid of being her real, authentic self. And just like how they influenced her, she also wants to leave a lasting impression on them. “I just like to promote overall being a good person, being a good human…Life’s too short to dwell in the conflict and the sadness and just try to live every day to the fullest and, hopefully, all of these things that I feel about life, I project onto my students and they go through life remembering some of those life lessons,” she says.