By- Bridget Halls, GSD Communication Intern Fall 2024

Have you ever wondered what it was like to be a teacher on the first day of school? Most people can imagine what it would be like as a student, but few know how these teachers feel. I personally know that it can be difficult to remember one teacher’s name, but the teachers that can remember every single one of their students names and engage in conversations about their likes and abilities are people who should be applauded. 

Each year, some teachers retire and others are hired, and this year Olympus High School welcomed around 15 new staff members into classrooms to shape young Titan minds, as well as engage in the community at Olympus. Each teacher has around 25-30 students per class, and most likely 8 classes a week; while learning all their names and personalities, as well as gauging their abilities and comfort levels in their new environment, these teachers have had to welcome hundreds of students into an environment that they might not even understand yet themselves. I was able to get in contact with four of these teachers who have each had a huge impact on the functionality of Olympus so far this year, and will impact students for years to come.

AMBER BECKSTRAND : 11TH ENGLISH, AP LANGUAGE

The first teacher that I was able to talk to was Amber Beckstrand. She teaches 11th grade English and AP English Language. She previously taught middle school for 7 years and earned her bachelor’s degree in English Teaching at BYU, where her mother is a professor and where she spent many summers. She later got her masters in Literacy Education at the University of Utah, all of which took 5 years including a student internship at Centennial Middle School in Provo School District. 

Jumping from middle school to high school is a drastic change for anyone, especially concerning the change of content and behavior of the students. While Ms. Beckstrand loves learning and watching others get the opportunity to do so, she said she is even more excited to help students achieve their writing goals. “The skills students learn at this age are so important for creating life-long success,” Ms. Beckstrand said. Even though all of the content in AP Language is new to her, it is something that she really looks forward to as she learns something new along with the students. “The Great Gatsby” was also something that she is looking forward to teaching and reading, as it was one of the things that made her want to be a teacher.

ANNE JENSEN : WORLD GEOGRAPHY, US HISTORY

Another teacher, foreign to teaching at any school, besides her student teaching in Provo, Anne Jensen, is now part of Olympus’ geography and history department, and is eager to teach students what inspired her to become a teacher in the first place. She hopes to empower future generations and help them to develop their critical thinking skills as well as their intellectual independence. So far she has noticed that one of the biggest challenges at Olympus is that students focus more on their grades than the creative liberty that they can employ in their work, leaving them to rely on AI tools to complete their work, in the name of perfectionism. To combat this, Jensen hopes to encourage students to rely on their own abilities rather than do whatever it takes to get a good grade, and will apply techniques in her teaching in order to do so. 

After attending Olympus in 2018, Ms. Jensen graduated from UVU with a bachelor’s degree in History and Social Studies Education, as well as a minor in Gender Studies. She also taught as a student in Provo with 9th to 12th graders. She is excited to focus more on geography, separate from what she learned in her training, and expand on how it shapes our understanding of human population and culture. Believing that building connections and strong community ties enhance both the teaching and learning experience for students, she anticipates participating in the future sporting and club events.

GARRETT BRAND : MATH 1 AND 3

Also in his first year ever teaching, Garrett Brand told me a little about what he thinks of Olympus so far, and what he is expecting from the year and students to come. After attending Carden Memorial School in Sugar House, as well as Olympus in Holladay, and then graduating from BYU in Statistics, Mr. Brand became inspired to think about teaching as a career by his own teachers. He hopes to create that same feeling upon his own students, especially like one of his old math teachers, Mrs. Brewerton, who has inspiringly been a teacher for almost 50 years at Carden.

One of the biggest challenges that he has encountered so far concerned the fact that some students will not seek help when they need it, and will come in an hour before a test in hopes of understanding all the material right then and there. While Mr. Brand hopes to do better at noticing when kids need help, the students are also accountable for their understanding, and are encouraged to work in collaboration with their teachers. Mr. Brand has loved coming back to his alma mater and being able to be a Titan again.

JESSICA MURPHY : 9TH ENGLISH, 10TH ENGLISH, CREATIVE WRITING

The last teacher that I was able to connect with told me about her perspective at Olympus, and how she was impacted by the cultural change from Washington State to Utah. Jessica Murphy was drawn to teach and work in Utah, and hoped that she could be involved. She was most drawn to Olympus because of the questions that were asked during the interview, about her personality and passions, clearly showing her the expectations for a continuous education and community at the school. Different from her student teaching at Northridge High School in Layton, she stated that Olympus’ students are much more involved in club activities and AP courses, and have more active involvement from their parents in school matters. With all the differences that she found, she mostly noticed that the administrators, especially Mrs. Christensen, at Olympus truly care for the teachers, and are just as welcoming towards the community. 

Ms. Murphy attended Utah State University over the course of seven years, to get degrees in English Teaching, Political Science, and Philosophy. After realizing how much she loves reading, writing, and researching, and along with her poli-sci background, she was drawn away from social work and towards education. She connected with the Olympus community and now teaches 10th Core English, 9th Core English, as well as Creative Writing; she is eagerly waiting to publish the end of year literary magazine. Mrs. Murphy has found that she has had to face challenges about her boundaries, largely surrounding late work and resubmissions, and has now enforced policies that have ensured she can manage her time in a non-stressful way.

I am sure that both the students and staff members are excitedly welcoming these new teachers into Olympus, and are just as excited to be taught by people who clearly have a passion for what they do. Every single teacher I talked to said that they could not wait to see their students mature and grow with the knowledge they discuss, and that the majority of students are kind and respectful as they are ready to learn. They engage in discussions together, and throughout the year will grow as a class, engaged in not only school work, but also their personal growth and development. So, make sure to respect all the teachers who have the courage every day to go in front of hundreds of kids to teach them about what they love most, as they clearly deserve it, no matter how experienced they are.