Teacher Spotlight: Mrs. McAndrew

I decided to do a spotlight on Mrs. Mac because she’s one of the teachers that I've looked up to the most during my high school years. She does so much for Mayfair, and I wanted to give her the recognition she deserves. She has been one of my role models since my freshman year here at Mayfair.

Q: Why did you decide to become a teacher?

A: “It's actually weird how I became a teacher. I went to school as a business major with an emphasis in marketing, and I finally narrowed it down to working in education within museums. While I was looking for a job after I graduated from college, I applied to be a substitute teacher. My mom suggested that I should be a teacher, so initially, I ruled that out. But the first day that I substituted, I couldn't imagine being anywhere else. Then decided to enroll in a teaching credential program that night.”

Q: What do you think is your favorite subject to teach between your marketing classes and ASB classes?

A: “Marketing and ASB are very different. ASB is all about events and planning. As for marketing, I love it. I think it's changing all the time; it's dynamic, and I love examining what's popular at the time. More importantly, I like it because most kids are going to own their own business someday, and so I think that it gives them a little insight into what to look forward to and what kind of things they need to pay attention to. I mean, ASB is essentially marketing anyways, so it all stems from marketing.”

Q: How was your experience as a SkillsUSA advisor last year?

A: “It was an honor to be an advisor for SkillsUSA. I'm not gonna lie, it was a little overwhelming. It's so impressive to see that many students come together-students that are amazing at what they do-and to watch them compete whether it's in medical terminology, CPR, installing internet, or screen printing, it's phenomenal. So overall, it was an amazing experience. It's a very tiring four days, but in the end, it's awesome to watch the kids do their thing.”

Q: What's your favorite part about being an involved teacher at Mayfair?

A: “I just enjoy being around the students; I love watching kids grow. I'm in a position with the marketing pathway and with ASB where I get to see kids multiple years in a row, so I love to watch them grow from freshman or sophomores to being a senior and getting ready to go out there and do their thing. I like to watch kids being amazing.”

Q: What inspires you to keep going?

A: “The students, you guys are my favorite part of the job. That's why I do what I do-not to hang out with adults, but because I like to watch the kids be great. I like to watch them figure something out that they haven't been able to figure out, or do something that they thought they'd never be able to do. That's inspirational to me.”

Q: What do you do when you're not at Mayfair, and what are your favorite hobbies?

A:  “What are my hobbies? Well, I love college football. My two kids are away at college now, so I'm an empty nester. I spend a lot of time visiting them. I love my animals that I have and spending time with them. Mainly, I just enjoy spending time with my family, like my parents. I do like cooking as well-I love barbecuing. I like trying new kitchen gadgets when I cook. So, I would say, ‘I love cooking or baking as a hobby, and I wanna try sourdough.’”

Q: What are your plans for this upcoming school year?

A: “My plans for this year were gonna bring back club days, which we haven't had in several years. That's just where clubs get to sell food, and it just makes an amazing vibe on campus. If you ask somebody from 10 years ago what their favorite thing was about Mayfair, they would say club days. We've been working with the administration to bring those back; I just love the vibe they bring to the campus. So, I'm really excited for that. This year, we've been off to a really good start, and there's been some really cool stuff. There's been good dress-up spirit days, and school spirit has been high. When school spirit is high, it pushes us to do more and to be better. I'm looking forward to that.”

Q: What’s some advice for the upcoming graduating class of 2027?

A: “Enjoy every minute, go to everything you can. You will never look back and say, ‘I shouldn't have done that.’ You will always say, ‘I wish I would've done that.’ So do it all now, embrace every minute, and remember Mayfair’s a pretty cool place.”

Thank you, Mrs. Mac, for letting me interview you. It was such a delight to talk with you and get to know you more. I appreciate everything you do for us here. Don’t forget to show her some love; she’s one of the cogs that keeps Mayfair moving forward.

Image Courtesy of Mrs. McAndrew.