Teacher Spotlight: Mr. Saunders

For the past six years, Mr. Saunders has honestly been more than just a theater or creative writing teacher to me. From my very first day at Mayfair High School to my last year there, he has been someone I can always go to for advice, support, and encouragement. He genuinely helped me through so many important moments in my life-most notably by helping me reclassify from ELD. No matter the circumstances, he always pushed me to become a better student and person, and I am forever grateful for him. 

His impact also reached my brother, who was likewise a student here. Over the years, Mr. Saunders has become an important part of the school community through all of the events and activities he organizes. He is someone I will always appreciate for helping me become the person I am today. This teacher spotlight is a way to show how much I truly appreciate him, and let more people know who he is and what he does!

Q: What is one thing you are really passionate about outside of teaching?

A: “The performing arts. I’m passionate about acting, building sets, providing entertainment, creating memories and experiences. But more than the performing arts, I am mainly focused on building memories for everyone in the school community. I want them to have something to remember and look back on when they graduate, or to help them find what they are passionate about.”

Q: What is a hobby or activity that you actually enjoy doing in your free time?

A: “I really enjoy building Lego sets, creating artwork, animating, telling stories, writing, and storyboarding. That's how I enjoy my free time since I am really creative and love building things.”

Q: Who had the biggest influence on your life or career? 

A: “A lot of it stems from my faith, which deeply influenced the way I go about my life and career. I’ve also been inspired by other actors like Robin Williams, Eddie Murphy, and John Ritter. Those three had a huge influence on me, along with movies like Airplane!, Three Amigos!, and Mary Poppins. But ultimately, Walt Disney was my original influence.”

Q: What is a childhood dream you had growing up and did you achieve it? 

A: “My childhood dream was to be in the performing arts-specifically acting and being involved with movies. In a lot of ways, my childhood dream has been achieved, but it didn’t happen the way I thought it would. It came about in a very different way, but I’m very happy and am still moving toward other goals as well.”

Q: What is one piece of advice that has been stuck with you throughout your life?

A: “Two things: first, ‘Keep the main thing the main thing always.’ The other quote is, ‘If you treat your talent like a hobby, it’ll always be a hobby until you treat it like a profession.’”

Q: What is something you are currently looking forward to in your school life?

A: “In all honesty, this program (CalAPS) has been that dream; almost everything I do, I do for it. I don’t even pay for the program. For this musical, the stipend is very small, which is fine, but it isn’t a class. It’s a club, and I personally prefer to keep it that way. This whole program is something I really enjoy.”

Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

A: “I would probably go to Ireland and Scotland, mostly because I’ve been told a lot of my relatives came from that area-though that might not be necessarily true. I know a bit about Europe as well, but to be honest, if I had an invitation to Iceland or Greenland, I would go just to see them. I wouldn’t want to live there, but I’d love to see them.”

Q: What is something on your personal bucket list that you hope to accomplish?

A: “To own a Jeep. As silly as that is, I would own a jeep, have a nice house to retire to, but I don’t consider my daily goals as a ‘bucket list.’ I would say getting my dream job. I’d love to get some steady work as an extra in movies and TV. I'm always trying to gear myself up towards that. But that’s not a bucket list item; that’s just something I’m doing all the time.”

Q: What is one personal goal you are working toward right now?

A: “Right now, I’m working towards freeing up my time so that I can start looking for extra work and getting into films on TV. I love what I do.I don’t even feel like I’m working; I just love what I do.”

Q: What is something you hope people remember about you after meeting you?

A: “That they’re valued, that they are important, that they have a voice, and that they matter.”

Looking back on being with Mr. Saunders for these six years, I’m really grateful that he has been a part of my life. I am so glad that I made this spotlight about him because he is so worthy of getting acknowledged for everything he does. He has supported me through some very important moments, believed in me when no one else would, and supported me through thick and thin. Most importantly, he helped both me and my brother grow into better people at school and made our years and his name memorable. It means so much to know that someone like him has been in my life for such a long time and has helped immensely. I am so thankful for everything he has done for me and my family. I hope he knows just how much of an impact he has made on me.

Image Courtesy of Mr. Saunders.