Teacher Spotlight: Mrs. Ellis

I chose Mrs. Ellis for my spotlight because she seems like a very outgoing person and I wanted to learn more about her. Since this is my first year having her as my English teacher, I thought this was the perfect opportunity.

Q: What did you do before teaching here at Mayfair High?

A: "That was so long ago, I've been teaching for 27 years. Before I taught at Mayfair, I taught group exercise classes at several gyms. I taught cardio, kickboxing, spin classes, and step aerobics."

Q: In total, how many classes do you teach and what grades?

A:  "I Co-Teach three 11th Grade English classes with my favorite teacher in the world, Mrs. VanderBaan. I solo teach two 11th Grade English classes and an 11th/12th grade ELD class."

Q: What do you enjoy outside of teaching?

A:  "I enjoy hanging out with friends and traveling--I love visiting new places. Above all though, my favorite thing to do is laugh. If I can hang out with people who make me laugh and bring joy to my life, then my life is complete."

Q: If you weren't a teacher, what would you be?

A:  "I would be a full time writer and artist. Writing and painting are my passions outside of teaching."

Q: Are you married? If so, how long.

A: "I'm divorced, some things aren't meant to be and that's ok. I am very happy with my current partner, Frank. We have been together for 6 years."

Q: Do you have any children? If so, how many.

A: "I have one son, Derek Ellis, and he's 32. No grandkids yet."

Q: Do you have any siblings? If so, older or younger?

A: "My parents were divorced and I'm the only child they had together, however, I have a half brother and a half sister along with 3 step brothers and 2 step sisters."

Q: Do you have any pets, if not, would you like any?

A: "Currently, I don't have any pets. Since I travel a lot, this works for me right now. If I was to get a pet, it would definitely be a cat."

Q: What did you do this summer?

A: "I went on a pretty epic road trip to Shasta, Humboldt, and Russian River, and the Redwoods. It was magical and amazing. I think that everyone should visit the Redwoods at least once in their life. I also went to the Big Island, Hawaii, and I had a blast swimming with sea turtles and giant manta rays."

Q: Do you have any other goals you want to achieve before the end of the year?

A: "I would like to start selling prints of my artwork and writing more."

I’m glad to have Mrs. Ellis, along with Mrs. VanderBaan, as my English teacher this year. She’s very kind and understanding and helps you to her best ability whenever you have questions. I’m looking forward to seeing where this year heads.

Image Courtsey of Mrs. Ellis.