Never too late to start

By Jordi Avila

As a junior in high school, I'm close to graduating and currently exploring and experimenting  on what I really want to pursue after high school. Helping me along in that journey is Ms. Celia Lam.

Ms. Lam is one of those teachers who cares about helping students in reaching their academic goals.

She teaches English 3 and ELD and is in her second year of teaching at Yerba Buena High School.

Before Ms Lam pursued teaching, she worked with the city government It was during her time working for the city that she got her teaching credential.

Lam: “ I thought I could do both, I did both, it was very interesting and stimulating, except one lost stimulation,which was working for the city.”

In her previous job, Ms. Lam was in charge of the pharmaceutical and medical supplies. But she lost the stimulation during quarantine of 2020 she was doing lots of work at home and zero social interaction, not gratification for her seeing the fruit of labor.

Lam: “People were dying so it was a little sad. I need to get out of the office. In the classroom was where I wanted to be”

 She felt as though she needed to start new, needed to get away from all that sad stuff from her previous job and decided teaching would be a better fit for her. 

Changing the workline was a very refreshing start for Ms.Lam. switching gave her something new to try, and learn new skills.She felt excited to start a new beginning in her career which would be teaching at Yerba Buena.

Lam: I do believe that it's never too late to start doing what your doing what you want

Ms Lam has a very unique way of teaching. She uses balloons to make shapes and animals, like a dog. She encourages everyone of her students to use their imagination and think about what the balloon animals mean to them, making learning fun and really creative. Using balloons to teach is fun and creative,it makes learning more engaging and shows that she wants her students to enjoy class.

Lam: “The balloons has been the most creative way I've been able to explain something. I can use it for metaphors, for symbolism, to explain integrity, it's, uh, multifaceted tool.”

I thought it was a really good approach to start off the school year and not just get straight into an essay and bore the students.

Using balloon animals is not her only unique way of teaching to make her students pay attention; she uses candy as a reward system for those who participate in class and answer her questions.

Even though she has very fun and unique way of teaching she is a chill and easy going Teacher and not strict on us even when our class is loud and chaotic.

Lam: “Easiest thing about teaching; is being present with the students.”

Ms Lam's journey shows that change can lead to something meaningful. Even though teaching wasn't her first career, she found her passion in helping students grow and discover their own paths after graduation.

Her chill and easy personality makes her classroom welcoming when class starts and when you just want to go chill in her classroom during lunch.

I learned from Ms.Lam that if you pursue a career and you don't like it, it’s okay to make a  change and look for a career you would truly enjoy. She has showed me that starting over can lead to better and new opportunities after high school.