By Hannah Duffee
For any upperclassmen attending SOAR High School, it’s easy to see how much our school has changed in the past few years. Umbrellas, a new mural, and a whole bunch of new classrooms are just a few things that have changed with the layout. Ask any upperclassmen, though, and they’ll tell you the climate is different at SOAR too, with new teachers and new students creating a completely new environment on campus. Without further adieu, here’s a look at October’s featured teacher: Ms. Justice!
After completing an Associate’s Degree and Bachelor’s Degree in Math at Antelope Valley College and California State University Northridge, first- year SOAR teacher, Ms. Justice went on to earn her Teaching Credential and a Master’s Degree in Education at California State University Bakersfield. Before coming to SOAR High School, though, she also worked at Pete Knight and Palmdale High School teaching computer science and higher level math classes. Deciding at any time to switch jobs is a hard decision and Ms. Justice said that her decision to come to SOAR was no different. “It was really hard to leave Palmdale High because I loved it there,” she began, “but I was definitely ready for a new challenge and a unique experience. I graduated from AVC when I was fifteen so I know what it's like to be a high school kid in a college classroom. I was good friends with some of the original SOAR kids.”
Sitting comfortably in S6, Ms. Justice has taken on Algebra I, Trig/Precalculus, and AVID 10 for the 2022-2023 school year. When asked about her favorite thing at SOAR so far, Ms. Justice only smiled. “The students!” she replied almost immediately, “My best kid in the classroom before is now every kid. Every kid wants to learn. The geeky culture of SOAR suits me well I think.”
Going through high school, some of Ms. Justice’s favorite classes were Art History and the History of Religion. “It was definitely not math,” she added, “I wanted to be a history teacher but I kept taking math classes and getting good grades. I was a math tutor in high school and college and realized I was good at explaining things.”
Outside of the classroom, Ms. Justice likes to go on TikTok, watch movies, and is currently invested in the HBO Max series House of the Dragon. At home she has a Schnauzer Shih Tzu mix named Charlotte. Fun Fact: Ms. Justice actually has something called synesthesia where she sees letters and numbers in color!
Before leaving, I asked Ms. Justice the best advice she could give SOAR students today. Ms. Justice leaned back in her desk chair, pushing her glasses up onto her face. After a moment, she leaned forward and shared, “Be willing to follow what you're good at and be open to changing your mind. Life can take us in different directions. I did not plan to be a teacher, but I love it and I’m good at it. Be open-minded.”
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