Fun and Caring Environment in the Classroom

Being a teacher requires an outgoing and unique personality. You have to have strong characteristics, including empathy, compassion, and passion as a teacher. Stephanie Nash, a psychology teacher at Pennridge Highschool, has all those characteristics and many more. Nash has taught at Pennridge for 24 years and has had much experience throughout her career. She has done a lot for the school and has been involved in many changes and contributions to Pennridge High School. Not only is Nash a teacher, but she is also a great leader in the SAP community and an influential contributor to the Sleep Study committee. 

Through her years of teaching, Nash has learned many tactics and strategies for her teaching ways. Regarding the approach in her classroom, Nash states, “It all depends on the class. I think you have to adjust because some classes want to participate, and some classes want to sit there and have you feed them information. I’m very dependent on what my students want.” Nash considers how her students interact with her class and shows that she cares about her students and the way they want to learn. After sitting in her class, she takes a great duty to be hands-on with her students and helps engage them in the activities and handouts to make the information more understandable.

Making class fun but also effective is what Nash does best. Sophia Vanderbas, a student at Pennridge High School, states that she enjoys “the kahoots, games, and projects” that Nash makes. Not only does she make the classroom a fun place, but she also makes it a safe place and an encouraging environment. Vanderbas agrees and states, “On bad days, she encourages us by giving out candy when we get an answer correct.” Encouraging your students makes them want to learn more, enjoy what they are learning, and give them a treat for the day. 

Charles Lainhart, an English teacher at Pennridge Highschool, had a lot of nice things to say about Nash, as he’s been teaching with her for 24 years, and they are good friends. Nash and Lainhart are both part of the SAP team, and Lainhart states, “I’ve worked with her on the sap team for probably 20 years, and she cares for and wants the best for every student in front of her. She wants to do what’s best for them and do what she can. And that has never changed. Some teachers get negative, and she has never done that.” Nash takes the time to radiate positivity to her students and helps them in any way possible. She is very understanding and genuinely wants the best for her students.

Being a teacher requires patience with the students; some struggle and others thrive. It all occurs with the students in the class and the teacher willing to engage with them to give them the best education possible. Nash takes time out of the year to prepare the students for the AP exam they take at the end of the school year so that they feel prepared. Working with other AP teachers and changing the way of traditional teaching, Nash takes learning to the next level and makes the classroom enjoyable.