Moving in the middle of the year is not only difficult for students but it takes a toll on teachers as well. Students as well as the remaining staff must adjust to a new teacher and a new schedule.

Midyear staff changes forced students to adjust to new teachers in the middle of the year. One change is theater teacher Mr. Rick Eldredge ,https://www.whitneyupdate.com/5967/news/whs-theater-teacher-rick-eldredge-arrested-on-felony-charges/, as well as AP World History and geography teacher Mrs. Katie Staggs, and the AP Physics and physics teacher Mr. Jonathan Hanna. Hanna left because he was offered a new job position. Hanna now works at PASCO and left in the middle of the year because he was given a position and said he couldn’t give up the opportunity. Staggs is leaving because her husband has been deployed to Europe.

Mrs. Erin Johnson has taken over Hanna’s position and is now the physics and AP Physics teacher.

“[Taking over the physics class] feels familiar. I am excited since I enjoy physics and it is my major, but I will miss my chemistry students,” Johnson said.

Johnson started working here last year as a physics teacher and took over the AP Physics position when Mr. Matt Yamamoto was removed from the staff in September 2012. She taught AP Physics and physics last year, but started off the 2013-2014 school year teaching chemistry and physics.

“I think the biggest challenge is being a PLC to no PLC. Doing it all on your own and analyzing it yourself and learning new names,” Johnson said.

But a sudden change isn’t just hard on the teachers. it is hard for the students as well.

“So far the biggest adjustment would be handling the new pace of the class. Before it felt like we took a couple classes to go over a single topic and now we’re flying through at least three topics a class period plus practical applications,” senior AP Physics student Nathaniel Cinnamon said.

For senior and four year theater student Savannah Jossart she sees the sudden change as a new view on the class.

“I really like Ms. Forrester it’s a whole new perspective on the class instead of the same old thing that I’ve been doing for three years,” Jossart said.

Even though the teacher has changed, not much will be changed in the curriculum.

“I liked his contribution, but not much will change. For AP there will be a different approach on the homework and lectures, but not much different. Students still need to learn the material,” Johnson said.

Cinnamon said that changing a teacher in the middle of semester can go smoothly if students and teachers understand both sides.

Cinnamon said, ”Incoming teachers need to slowly break and remold the old habits made by the previous teacher, even if that means occasionally changing lesson plans. In short [students] need to suck it up and quit complaining that their grades are poor because this new teacher sucks, because generally the poor grades are incumbent on the inability for students to adapt to change.”

by THERESA KIM