By: Meghan O’Neil
Determined, open minded, and committed are just a few words to describe WHS Physical Education teacher Mrs. Callender. Many Westborough High students know her, but few know much about her. Mrs. Callender, mother of two, lives in Rutland, MA. She travels 45 minutes every day to come to Westborough and teach her favorite students. She has been working in Westborough for 15 years and has been specifically at the high school for 12 of those years. Although Mrs. Callender loves her job, being a P.E. teacher was not her original plan.
After high school, Mrs. Callender attended a two year school at Wachusett followed by a two year boarding school in Tilton, New Hampshire. Finally, she went to a four year school, Hartwick in New York. There, she majored in Sociology and minored in Spanish. It was only after her first job at a school for severely troubled children that she realized what her true passion was: teaching P.E.
Mrs. Callender then decided to go back to grad school, choosing to attend Springfield College to earn her teaching credentials. After long hours and hard work, she completed her Master’s Degree in Teaching through an accelerated program. She then began student teaching in Westborough and continued to pursue her dream of becoming a P.E. teacher.
Mrs. Callender says that working at WHS has been an absolute joy for her. She finds that WHS has one of the best P.E. programs and really appreciates the school’s emphasis on the importance of staying healthy. She likes the staff and her co-workers, but she says that it is the students who truly make her day. She loves to interact with the kids and enjoys building good relationships year after year. When asked what she finds most rewarding about teaching fitness she replies that it is when she can make an impact on a student.
Although she enjoys her job, there are challenges she faces as a teacher. One of these challenges is that everything is always changing like the rubrics, grading style, and curriculum. She finds that there are a lot of procedural aspects to the job. Recently, the P.E. department has made changes to the curriculum to make gym ‘tougher’. Mrs. Callender says that she likes some aspects of these changes. She likes that it is an objective way to grade students and likes the structure that the changes bring. On the down side, she feels that many students will now be taking the final and is unsure whether this will end up being beneficial or not.
Aside from the job, Mrs. Callender has a life outside of WHS. She actively participates in the Rutland youth department, coaching lacrosse and field hockey. Being a mother is very important to Mrs. Callender, she loves to spend time with her kids and be a part of their lives. In her spare time she likes to work her mind and body by reading and keeping herself fit and healthy. Mrs. Callender is a very well-rounded person, and we are very lucky to have her as a teacher here at Westborough High School.
