With the great start of the new 2022-2023 school year, The Arcadia Quill would like to welcome the new teachers who are all going to make significant contributions this year, including Ms. Sabrina Galvan, who is currently teaching Algebra 1 and Algebra 2.

After approximately one year following the transition from remote to in-person learning, challenges of adapting can still be seen among both teachers and students. Like many new teachers, Ms. Galvan has risen to the challenge despite numerous uncertainties. Prior to joining Arcadia High School (AHS), Ms. Galvan received her teaching credentials from Cal Poly Pomona College and started off her teaching career as a student teacher over Zoom. She was later employed as a long-term substitute teacher at Walnut High School and then inaugurated into her first year as an AHS teacher.

Although starting as a new teacher at this special time was extremely difficult, when asked about what inspired her to accept this challenge, Ms. Galvan referred to her childhood experiences of how “it was really fun to help [her] grandma, who was a teacher, set up the classroom. Seeing the impact [her grandma] made to students made [her] look forward to have the same job.” 

Beyond the family influences that have inspired her, she acknowledged all her math teachers whom she was grateful for. 

“I was really lucky to have good math teachers,”she said. “They act as inspirations for me to want to be like them–how I can explain a difficult problem into simple elements that can make students think and learn.”

Ms. Galvan hopes to impart the idea of the importance of math onto her students—that “math is a foundation that can provide people with strong cognitive thinking skills and tremendous career opportunities.” 

She hopes that by introducing varied teaching methods that are different from the conventional “boring” manner, everyone will feel at ease when dealing with math.

“I think showing math games, Desmos activities, Kahoot, and Quizizz will change some of the negative perspectives toward math,” she shared. “Having students communicate and cooperate is also crucial in terms of practices.”

Ms. Galvan realizes that math might be intimidating at times, but she feels that continual interaction will change kids’ perceptions of math. She recommends that students seek assistance, whether through an online platform or by approaching people they know.

Over and above recognizing the academic performances of students, Ms. Galvan expressed her interest in knowing students as people. “I want to get to know my students more, of the things they enjoy such as hobbies and after school activities. This is definitely my favorite part of being a teacher.”

“Being a math teacher means a lot to me. I hope to make an impact on students and possibly change the ways they view math,” she continued.

We thank all new teachers and staff at AHS for joining the family. This is going to be another fantastic year with all of the support from both teachers and students!

Photo courtesy of Annie Jiang