Teachers come and go every year at Karns Highschool, and this year Karns has amazing new staff members. Students are unsure about them but they should realize that the teachers are here for them. They’re incredible and said that they’ll be teaching for a long time.

Lindsay Gardner is a 9th grade English teacher. She’s been teaching for 6 years, and she graduated highschool in 2012. She says she enjoys making a connection with her students, watching them learn and grow. 

She also makes it clear the reason she enjoys teaching 9th grade English specifically is because “…you can see [their] progress and [see them] graduate.”

She looks forward to creating  objectives for her classes and seeing them meet them. In her free time, she loves to travel domestically and nationally. She also plays recreation league kickball. 

“Right now, I’m so comfortable teaching that I don’t really see myself exiting that field,” she added.

Jerry Hogan is a first year French teacher that’s been practicing yoga for almost 30 years, he graduated highschool in 1987 and he said he’s been graduated from college for about 30 years. When coming to school he says he looks forward to the challenge.

 Mr. Hogan goes on to say “It’s not always easy to acquire a second language when you’re starting in high school so the challenge of doing it and figuring out how to get in someone’s head and create an environment where they want to acquire the second language.” 

So far Hogan says he likes teaching but follows up by saying “it’s been a challenge and some anxiety but that’s calmed down” he says that whilst teaching, his French has also improved not dramatically but a fair amount. He says he’s learned how to present himself better and how to manage students better in the past 6 weeks. 

He says the hardest thing about teaching is “…just developing an appropriate lesson plan that they accept, that’s time-appropriate and material appropriate.”

 He says he sees himself teaching for twelve to fifteen more years.

Last but not least is John Clugg. He was born in Yekaterinburg, Russia, but grew up in Chicago. This is his first year teaching, and he’s also working with the band. He teaches U.S. history for juniors and freshman world history and geography. 

“Seeing all my wonderful students and how excited they are to learn in class,” is what makes him excited to come to school everyday.

He also says he enjoys the learning process and helping people understand the topics just a little better than before. 

“Honestly I’m so busy all the time with school,” he commented about his hobbies, “but being social with people is always a hobby, and helping with band.” 

Mr. Clugg is very passionate about teaching and cares for all his students. He creates an atmosphere where his students feel free to express themselves and be wrong. 

With all that being said, the new teachers seem more than excited to be here and Karns High students are excited to be back for the 2022-23 school year.