Preparing her students to present recreations of the story “Beowulf” as children stories, Ms. Haynie gives them their instructions. Photo by: Brandon Heims

By Brandon Heims

The English department has some new teachers. Ms. Warren and Ms. Haynie have arrived to Plymouth High School.

Ms. Warren taught one year at Westside Middle School in Elkhart as a Reading and English teacher, one year at Jefferson Elementary as an ENL (English as a New Language) teacher, and two years at Lincoln Junior High as a Reading and ENL teacher. “My ultimate goal was to teach English at PHS. I am very happy to be here,” she said. “This is my first year teaching,” Ms. Haynie said, “I heard about the job opening from Ms. Dorland, who also teaches English here at Plymouth. Ms. Dorland and I attended college together for two years. She told me about her experience here, so I applied for the job!”

First days for a new teacher in a new environment could either be really hard or easy. “My first day was fabulous,” Ms. Warren said. “I miss the junior high, but I am SO happy to be here. It was everything I expected and more!” she said. “Coming from the junior high to the high school in the same corporation is not too different, but the kids are completely different,” Ms. Warren said when describing her transition between schools. “Usually I would have to open a hundred lockers, but this year I didn’t have to.” Additionally she said, “I haven’t met everyone, but ones I have met are very polite and mature!” Ms. Haynie said, “My first day was both crazy and great! I’m excited to finally be teaching, but I do have to remember to take it one day at a time.”

Ms. Warren graduated from Plymouth high school and then graduated from Bethel College with Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in English Education, Journalism, and Theatre Arts. She also has her masters from Bethel College in Teaching with a concentration in Literacy. Ms. Haynie attended high school in Santiago, Chile, and in Lafayette, Indiana. She then graduated from Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana in May 2012.  Ms. Warren additionally tells a story about when she attended Plymouth. “My first day of high school I fell down the stairs and Mr. Cox ran to my aid to help me. He walked me down to the nurses office because I was bleeding! A wonderful first day,” She said, “He probably forgets [though].”

Helping a student, Ms. Warren makes him pull up his homework. Photo by: Brandon Heims

“I’ve wanted to teach since I was in middle school,” Ms. Haynie said. “I decided to teach English because I like studying it, I’ve tutored people in English since middle school, and because I can teach it no matter where I live!” At first Ms. Warren did not even want to be a teacher. In college she was majoring in Spanish and Theatre Arts, which she believed was a “wonderful combination,” she said. She had no intention of becoming a teacher until she started coaching the junior high speech team. “I loved being around the kids on the team and I knew that teaching was the profession for me.” Ms. Warren is now teaching for her fifth year, her fourth year at Plymouth, first year at the high school. Ms. Haynie, on the other hand, is teaching for her first year.

Though teachers spend much of their time in the classroom, they have many other interests outside of it. Ms. Haynie loves playing board games and watching movies. She also likes reading, cooking, baking, and just hanging out.  She loves spending time with her family and friends. Ms. Warren loves loves loves speech. “I am one of the coaches for the speech team here at the high school. I also really love acting and directing (that is why I love speech so much). When I was a student here, I had to take a fine arts class. I didn’t think I could draw and I thought I sounded like a chicken when I sang, so I signed up for a theatre class. I went home crying the first day because I had to get up in front of people, but after the first taste of it, I was hooked.”

Some teachers may go by the book when teaching, but others may have their own style on getting students to learn. Ms. Haynie wants to use varied instructions in order to reach all of her students. Ms. Warren’s style is similar, “I use whatever works.” Her philosophy is that students learn in different ways, so she has to teach in different way. “I love teaching and I think my lessons reflect that. I always have a lot of energy. Some students think I am crazy, but I don’t think that is true!”

English is a required class in high schools and teachers like Ms. Haynie and Ms. Warren determined to leave their students with great knowledge.