In the 2021-2022 school year, Arcadia High School welcomes a plethora of new teachers to our campus. The Arcadia Quill would like to acknowledge all our new staff and welcome them into our Arcadia High family with a set of teacher features! Having been thrust into a post-lockdown situation, this mid-pandemic school year hasn’t been easy, but our amazing teachers always find a way to make it work! This set of stellar staff includes none other than Mr. Dan Nguyen, a new math teacher. The following is an interview conducted with Mr. Nguyen. 

Sohana Sahni:

What made you decide to become a teacher originally? Did you always want to join this profession?

Dan Nguyen:

You know, the idea of becoming a teacher at first came [to me] in like middle school. Once I got to college, I was undecided, and I actually tried some science for a little bit, but teaching was always in the back of my mind. I decided I wanted to be a teacher because I wanted a career where I felt like I could make an impact and would be able to see that impact immediately, and I always thought that working with the youth is a really good way to do that. 

Sohana Sahni:

What’s your favorite part of being a teacher?

Dan Nguyen:

The relationships with the students, you know, getting to see their personalities develop over the years, seeing their growth. Just being able to have those special connections and working with the youth. 

Sohana Sahni:

What brought you to Arcadia High School?

Dan Nguyen:

My girlfriend got a job at Cal ER; she’s just graduated as a physician assistant, so when she got a job in downtown LA we needed to relocate, and Arcadia was the perfect spot!

Sohana Sahni:

We’re glad to have you! In this new school year, everyone’s facing a lot of difficult changes and adjustments following the pandemic. How has COVID affected your experience teaching here?

Dan Nguyen:

Oh, man. Well, first, I’m glad that when I started here it wasn’t online; I think that would’ve been really tough. It’s really nice to have students back in the classroom again because I think those relationships are why I teach, and when you don’t get to build those relationships over the year, it gets really tough, and you need reminders of why you’re doing all this work. Are challenges coming back post-lockdown? I think teachers and students are both getting back into the swing of things. You know, I’ll go home some days, and my voice is just completely shot. I think the mask really hurts that, too, so I’ve been using a mic, but I can’t even talk sometimes after school. I think students didn’t have a full year of hanging out with friends or learning things from school, so I think developmentally they’re getting back to it; they’re making adjustments to kind of get those years back. 

Sohana Sahni:

Cool! Any last advice or messages you’d like to give to the students reading this right now?

Dan Nguyen:

I think just be kind to everybody, you know your peers, teachers. Always come to your relationships with others from a place of understanding, especially with this first year back; we could all use understanding and empathy. 

Sohana Sahni:

Awesome! Nice meeting you Mr. Nguyen!