Teacher Spotlight: Mrs. Garvin

I had the pleasure of interviewing Mrs. Garvin about her teaching career and her personal life. I had her in my sophomore year for AP World History: Modern, and she taught me a great deal about working hard and developing strong study habits. She guided me through my first AP course and motivated me to continue taking AP history courses throughout the rest of my high school career. Mrs. Garvin is also the History Club advisor, of which I became the president during my junior year. Through this club, she has allowed me to connect with different people and grow my passion for history. In this interview, I wanted everyone to recognize her hard work and dedication to the classes and clubs on campus to which she dedicates her time.

Q: What did you do prior to teaching at Mayfair?

A: “My first job was at the JCPenney department store, where I worked in customer service. Then, I got hired at Disneyland while I was in college. I worked a year in the merchandising section: I was at every store in the park at least once. I quit Disneyland when I moved to Europe to study abroad. I lived in Europe for a semester, and that is also where I met my husband. When I came back home, I worked at the Aquarium of the Pacific for three weeks, and then I quit when I saw there was an opportunity to work as a tutor in Huntington Beach. Then, I got my degree and became a substitute teacher in this district, and once I got my credential, I was hired as a teacher here.”

Q: What do you teach and what has it taught you?

A: “I teach Modern World History and AP World History. It has taught me a deeper understanding of history even though my degree is in history. I have come to understand how history links together. I think that's really my job—to help the students see the story that is history, a story that I have come to appreciate. That story is so important for us to know how we have arrived at this exact moment and where we are in history today.”

Q: Outside of school, what are some hobbies that you enjoy?

A: “I am a mom of three teenagers, so I don't have a lot of hobbies that are mine. I enjoy my children's hobbies because we do travel sports; for travel baseball and travel softball, we go to Disneyland a couple of times a month. It's a great place for us to bond. Occasionally, I see my husband in passing between all of these fun activities for the kids. Outside of school, I also enjoy teaching online at El Camino College as an instructor/professor. I have been doing that for almost 10 years, and I truly enjoy working with the new teachers.”

Q: Why did you choose to teach at Mayfair?

A: “I was already subbing in the district, so I had a connection here. My mom went to Mayfair and was an alumna of the class of ‘71, so she was very excited for me to work here. I was already familiar with the school because I subbed here, so I already knew a lot about it in general. It was nice to get hired into a school we were so familiar with.”

Q: What is the biggest challenge you have experienced throughout your teaching career?

A: “Time: there is never enough. History takes a lot of time, and students often complain that it is a lot of information, but we can't pick and choose what we want to know. It's a story, and it's hard to leave things out because then you do a disservice to the content that may never get taught. So, I think my biggest challenge is time—having enough time to teach, to tell the stories I want to tell, and to help the students learn them. My biggest challenge is definitely time.”

Q: How do you typically spend your summer breaks?

A: “Traveling. I absolutely love traveling, and I love using education as an excuse to travel. I've been all over the Western United States. My family and I enjoy camping, so that's one of the cheap ways we discover the United States. I also enjoy seeing other parts of the world, having adventures, and taking my kids on adventures. I think travel is one of the most educational things you can do in your life to experience other people's cultures, other people's way of life, and other people's experiences. To get to be a part of that is a fabulous adventure, so I absolutely love spending my summers traveling. I know when my family is traveling, I'm constantly in my head planning one of my next trips somewhere, no matter what day that is. It's the one thing I look forward to doing.”

Q: Being a history teacher, what are some historical events that you think are still relevant today?

A: “I don’t even know how to narrow it down because everything connects to history in our lives. Some ways we have been impacted by history make me want to playfully argue that everything is relevant to today. It’s going to be hard to pick just one thing because I don't know if I could just pick one thing. Everything is relevant.”

Q: What is one piece of advice you want to give to underclassmen?

A: “Learn how you learn. Absolutely learn how you learn; the sooner you learn how you learn, the easier education will be for you. If you are a person who has to take notes, or if you are a person who relies on flashcards, remember that just because flashcards work for someone doesn't mean that flashcards will work for another person. Learn how you learn, and discover how you absorb information. That applies to every subject: history, math, and science. Learning is learning how you learn best. Absorbing information is the key. Some people take a long time to learn, while other people learn quickly, and that definitely brings success.”

Q: What clubs do you sponsor and why do you enjoy them?

A: “I sponsor the history club and the debate club. I love the history club because we get to talk more about history. We don’t get to talk about it enough in class due to time constraints; we use our club time to talk about history. I also love debate club because we get to ask and talk about all those questions kids have but don't have time for in regular class. It's a great way for me to interact with my students, and it takes our connection to another level. They're very fun!”

Q: To conclude, what has been your favorite part of the school year so far?

A: “I've enjoyed my old students visiting me. I miss my students from last year. I had really good students from last year; I miss all my students. I love seeing them in the hallway—you know, the ones that are now juniors and seniors. I love seeing all the old students. I love that they grow up and they get taller! I love watching them go to college and just grow up because I have them at an age where they're still changing and still growing. I love to see them really becoming their own person, so I think that's a very positive thing. I actually do like seeing them in the hallway and seeing everybody.”

Thank you, Mrs. Garvin, for taking the time out of your day to answer my questions. I appreciated getting to know you better during this session. You have personally done a lot for me throughout these past three years, and I am glad that I could repay a little bit of that back.

Image Courtesy of Mrs. Garvin.