By Megan Sullivan
Staff Writer
After all of the conflict and confusion surrounding the French program last year, with the sudden removal of Timothy Hirsh and Lauri Resnikoff’s maternity leave, Mira Costa has hired two new French teachers, Caroline Buck and Crystal Meyer.
According to Principal Dr. Ben Dale, new teachers receive detailed instructions and advice on how to succeed at Mira Costa and are integrated into the school’s activities fairly smoothly. They are held to the same expectations as any student or faculty on campus and greatness is expected from them.
“One of the things I tell [new teachers] before school starts is that [they] have been hired by the best school, the best organization out there. [They] should be proud of [themselves], but after that’s over, now [they] got to do the job. [They] have got to be great,” Dale said.
Caroline Buck is French-Canadian who taught in Quebec before moving to teach at a school in Playa Del Rey. While there, she was awarded teacher of the year, which was, according to Buck, one of her greatest accomplishments. She says that leaving the students she has had such a close relationship was the hardest part about accepting this job at Costa.
“I am really looking forward to seeing the students outside of the classroom and I am looking forward to getting to know my students more and being able to create relationships with my students because I had great relationships with my students before,” Buck said.
Crystal Meyer will complete her fifteenth year as a French teacher this year at Mira Costa, but this year she will also be teaching two Spanish courses. After attending UCLA and receiving her degree in French and linguistics, she became a teacher who prides herself on the relationships she has with her students.
“Costa has a strong commitment to foreign languages and I’m part of a team, which is great,” Meyer said. “I hope to help the students connect to language, culture, and learn how to study foreign language and find success.”
Although seeing new faces on campus means change and improvement to some French students, others are concerned about how new teaching styles and teachers will impact their schoolwork and their understanding of the French language.
“It has been overwhelming since I don’t know our new teacher, or her teaching style, so I still don’t know what to expect,” sophomore Ginger Schwartz said, “My main concern is that she doesn’t know exactly what we have and haven’t learned.”
Other students feel similarly that a new teaching style can take a while to get used to, but that it is not necessarily a bad thing. Junior Emma Anderson expressed her excitement about having a new look and perspective on the subjects she has learned before.
“I was kind of worried to have a new teacher because in the past I have had bad experiences with new teachers,” Andersons said, “Ms. Meyer’s teaching style is different than any I have had before, but it’s good to learn new styles and points of view.”
With the addition of two new teachers, the French department has new influences, which may lead to some changes and improvements to the way the program functions and collaborates. The new teachers are excited to become a part of the Costa family and will hopefully transition into it without issues.
“I am looking forward to these teachers being great. We always set out to hire great people. We are always optimistic in the beginning, and its has only been a few days, and I already love having them here,” Dale said.
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