By:  Abby Chason and Isabelle Aronof

Many students know Mrs. Richards, a four year WHS veteran, as a kind, thought-provoking, sweet English teacher who recently married WHS math teacher Mr. Richards. However, what many students and faculty don’t know is that Mrs. Richards is that she has previously lived and taught in Chile. Here is where she learned to speak Spanish fluently by speaking it everyday and being thoroughly immersed in the culture.

When Mrs. Richards came to WHS; she originally taught ESL (English as a second language) and later transitioned to teaching Spanish. She has found the experience “very interesting and has found it a lot of fun”.

            Mrs. Richards did not always want to be a teacher. In the fifth grade she was asked to do a writing assignment to “map out her life”. She dreamed of owning her own dance studio and becoming a professional dancer. However, this childhood dream was quickly altered when she realized this was not her true calling.

            While in college, Mrs. Richards worked for some local newspapers, planning on starting a career as a journalist. Later on, while volunteering as a tutor, she found she really enjoyed helping others understand and appreciate reading, so that they are able to “read critically and form an opinion”.

            From her volunteer experience, she decided that teaching was something she wanted to pursue. Mrs. Richards believes that one of the best parts of her job is being in the classroom and doing day to day analysis. She greatly enjoys seeing her students progress and reach their full potential.

The best advice she can give to students is to, “Read books. You may not like reading but it takes practice and brings with it skills that are important across the board.”