With the start of a new school year, many teachers joined Arcadia High School (AHS). Ms. Melissa Schaffer is a new Special Education teacher and is excited to start her first year at AHS.

Prior to teaching at AHS, Ms. Schaffer had been teaching for 18 years in the Glendale Unified School District. 

When asked if anything she experienced growing up inspired her to help people with her job, Ms. Schaffer explained, “My brother was going to speech therapy classes and I saw that – so that’s how it started.”

As Ms. Schaffer was getting her degree  at Cal State Fullerton in speech therapy, she worked in classrooms as an instructional aide and realized that’s what she wanted to pursue. 

“I thought, ‘Oh, I like this a lot better than being the therapist.’ So I switched,” she said. “When I was working as an aide–working in the classroom–I loved it, so I changed my whole plan, and I’m happy about that.”

Afterwards, she finished her bachelor’s degree in speech therapy and got a master’s degree in special education at Cal State Fullerton.

When asked about her teaching philosophy, Ms. Schaffer said, “My philosophy is to have fun. Because if we’re not having fun, people don’t want to learn – it’s just boring. So I think having fun makes learning easier for everyone.”

This is especially evident in her classroom, where students can learn real-life skills: using the bathroom, kitchen, washer and dryer, as well as a room they do therapies in. It’s also a more wide-open space than other classrooms, with colored markers and drawings laid on the tables.

“Our goal is we want the students to be more included in the general campus, so if anyone sees us in the halls, just say ‘hi,’” Ms. Schaffer said.

In addition, when asked about what her favorite part of AHS is so far, Ms. Schaffer said she enjoys the atmosphere at AHS.

“I love how supportive all the other teachers and all the principals and all the staff are. And I feel like you guys as students have a good positive culture here,” she said. “Yeah, I just love it. I love it all. Everything here is great. So far, I haven’t found one bad thing here at all.”

Outside of school, Ms. Schaffer enjoys a variety of hobbies, including indoor and outdoor sports. 

“I like weight lifting, hiking, and paddle boarding,” she said. 

We are so glad that Ms. Schaffer is a part of AHS this year. Let’s give the new teachers a warm welcome!