The real you

By Katelyn Tran

Many people assume that teachers are all put together and excel in their subject, but really— teachers can also have times when they aren’t perfect. A lot of teachers have gone through what students went through, some not even able to graduate high school. 

Kalisha Ferris, an English teacher at Yerba Buena High School, went through the hardships of almost not being able to graduate, yet made her dreams come true.

High school was a rollercoaster for Ferris. She had great grades and was even on honor roll, but then it all came crashing down in junior year. She was failing all her academics, and during her senior year, she almost flunked English!

Ferris: “I almost didn’t graduate, so I am surprised that I did and I’m teaching high school now.”

At first, Ferris didn’t want to pursue teaching as her career. However, when she met her ex-boyfriend, he was the one who helped change her mind. 

Ferris: “I always loved reading and writing, and he’s the one who said maybe I should go back because he knew me in high school. He thought that I should go back to help other kids and I thought that was a great idea, so he was put into my life to help me become a teacher.”

After she became a teacher, she realized how much teaching really affected her. It helped her understand her students and her purpose.

Before, teaching made her personal life exhausting. She worked many jobs before, but becoming a teacher really drained her. However, she knew that teaching was her true calling.  

Ferris: “Before this, I did bartending and a lot of retail in restaurants, but I think gave my life more purpose and this was kind of my calling by helping other people and supporting them.”

Apart from just being a teacher, Ferris has contributed to the school’s community. She volunteered to become a softball coach, allowing her to connect with the other teachers and students. 

Ferris: “I grew up playing softball, and then a year after covid, YB needed a coach. Once I was coaching, it was pretty fun, but we didn’t do it two years ago because we didn’t have a field. Ms. Cain said that she’ll coach too, so it has been very fun because we’re both friends and going out there helping the girls. What really got me interested is just helping kids that never played a sport learn a sport and that’s been really rewarding.”

Over her years of teaching, she learned a lot more about her students and herself, learning how valuable teaching is. 

Ferris: “With teaching, the hardest part isn’t necessarily the students themselves, but the challenges that come with the students, so just learning more about how to talk to people and figure them out can help become the best versions of themselves. I think it’s like it’s just the relationships you get to build with others, and human connection is very important. It’s fun to watch students grow over 4 years of being here, and then making connections with coworkers, and pushing myself in the field of teaching has been very fun.”