New Teacher Showcase: Social Studies Edition

This year, we welcome 17 new teachers into our TJ community. Each of them have their own stories and interesting backgrounds to share. This month, we’ll cover 4 that you can meet from the social studies department. (And one world language, but there aren’t any new humanities teachers, so this was the best place to include her.)

Ms. Marshall
Starting with a world language, our first ever ASL teacher, Ms. Marshall. When she was in high school, she was deprived of an opportunity as a hard of hearing student in a world where ASL was not often taught. In fact, ASL is still an emerging language that is being actively developed and brought into schools. So, she got a masters in deaf ed, to create the opportunity for the kids of today. This is her first year teaching, she jumped on the first opportunity to teach that was presented to her. Ultimately, she wants to make a change in deaf students’ lives, and hopes students continue to use the language outside of her classroom.

Mr. Beane
Mr. Beane’s teaching career didn’t actually start until much later in his life, after exploring two whole professions beforehand. He spent time as an army officer and lawyer, which led into his current job. While performing mock trials, he worked with highschool students and really liked it. This is what set him on the path to his new found life passion. His overall goal is to be a good teacher and for students to get something out of his class. He was also able to share insight into his impression of our school after experiencing other Maryland schools first. And he reports a glowing review on our community, spirit, and most of all energy. Another thing he wants to express is advice to approach life always looking for opportunities and seeking experiences, you miss a lot when you accept a static state.

Ms. Keilholtz
Another teacher who expressed her love only for teaching and plans to continue until retirement is Ms. Keilholtz. Having worked a variety of jobs during her highschool career, from daycares, to summer camps, and even museums, her path was set from pretty early on. She always knew she loved history and that she wanted to teach. So, she spent 15 years teaching in middle schools. But when she was ready to move on to highschool, she jumped on the first chance, bringing her to TJ. She admits she wished she had switched sooner and that she loves all of her current kids.

Ms. Main
The last teacher for this edition similarly worked with kids in her highschool career, taking a child development class. While she had her apprehensions about young kids, she knew she liked working with and teaching people. As well as having really cool history teachers of her own when she was a student that opened her up to the content. Their supportive role in her life inspired her to work towards being a positive resource in her classes and in the school. Her career started out in Pennsylvania, but she moved