Rabia Newton, English

Favorite artist:

One of the world’s most popular singers is Taylor Swift. With 396 songs, Swift has millions of fans, and you can count Newton among them. She listens to Taylor on the way to school, and her favorite album is “Midnights.”

High school teacher, did not attend high school: career path

Most people perceive that their teachers have always been studious their entire life. This interview proved the flaws in this viewpoint, because Newton did not attend high school. The irony is unmistakable, but don’t worry, Newton is still educated. She was homeschooled until the age of 14, then directly entered Portland Community College to complete a GED program. She then proceeded to earn her GED before earning a college degree. – Violet Lewis

Edward Titmus, physics teacher

Why teach physics:

“Because physics is awesome, is the short answer,” Titmus said.

The longer answer?

Growing up, Titmus had a rough experience with school. School, like for many of us, was not enjoyable for him. He did enjoy learning, though. He often “tinkers with things and builds things and all kinds of stuff.”

These things, along with influence from his physics teacher and familial expectations to go into higher education, led him to start majoring in civil engineering. He found his engineering classes to be tedious, filled with table referencing and things that had already been figured out for him. The only class that he found interesting was physics. He switched to become a physics major, not knowing what would become of it.

His first job out of college was tutoring math. From his tutoring days, he found his passion for helping kids figure out stuff. After going on to spend time at a toxic, though high-paying job, he eventually began to teach.

Alternative job other than teacher:

If Titmus could choose a different profession from teaching physics, he would want to be an urban dictator. Coming from England, he recognizes the many problems in which North America has designed its roads. If he were to have unilateral control over the way the cities and transit systems were designed, he believes he could cut down on the environmental impact while also promoting happiness. “Vote” Mr. Titmus as America’s urban dictator! – McKenzie Vo

Melanie Jeudy, Spanish teacher

Most surprising thing about Cleveland:

Jeudy, a 2002 Cleveland graduate, said coming back here to teach felt comfortable because everything was familiar. She mentioned that she loved the murals around the school building, and she also enjoys seeing teachers who were here teaching when she attended Cleveland. As a high schooler, she recalled that a student passed away every year she attended, “…We were like, is this place cursed or what?” Despite those unfortunate events, she’s glad to be back.

Why teach Spanish?

Jeudy grew up learning French and English, and she thought she would become a French teacher. Despite her previous knowledge, when she began working at a Mexican restaurant with people who spoke Spanish, she started learning Spanish quickly and used it more often than French. “I loved speaking it; I loved learning about the culture, the music, and the food, of course!” she said. From there she started taking classes in college and completely changed her major to speak Spanish, which she loved. Jeudy has also taught health, yearbook and ELD, but she feels a strong passion teaching a language, because, “You don’t just teach the language, you teach the culture, you teach about the everyday life of people in different countries … and I think that’s the beauty of learning a language.” -Xinyi Lu

Dustin Pollock, math teacher

Why math:

Growing up, Pollock always enjoyed math in school. He recalls how his high school math teacher had a positive influence on him. He fell in love with the process of learning to solve problems and using different strategies to do so. Taking inspiration from his teacher, Pollock hoped that he can also have some positive influence on his students and help them realize that “math can be useful. It can even be fun at times.” He’s been teaching for 10 years.

Alternative career:

What drew Pollock into teaching was his goal of becoming a basketball coach. “One of the reasons I wanted to teach was to be a basketball coach, and I would like to get back into that again.” But if he were to choose a different career, it would be related to computers, such as software development. Pollock took a few programming classes along with the classes he needed in order to get his degree and he enjoyed it. – McKenzie Vo, Xinyi Lu

Lucie Sorel, health teacher

Why teach health:

Sorel explains that she enjoyed the aspects of health classes that include mental health and wellness, especially in regards to teenagers. She says, “For teenagers, I think it’s a really important topic for them to learn about.” A few other components of health class she enjoyed were the social emotional component, nutrition, wellness and mental health. Biggest fears:

Sorel discovered her biggest fear while living in New york. During her time there, she found out her apartment had a large infestation of bedbugs. She recalls that it was “quite difficult to eradicate.” Now, she is very cautious, making sure whatever she purchases from Goodwill bins or getting used clothing in general, she washes it immediately to prevent a bed bug infestation. -AlinaLuu, McKenzieVo


Franklin Stutevoss, Business

Why teach business:

Stutevoss said, “I have a bit of a business background.” Originally, he was a ticket salesman for the Portland Winterhawks, the junior ice hockey team. After the pandemic hit, all hell broke loose. He needed a plan B. He decided that teaching was a good option since it’s a more consistent career compared to ticket selling. From there he went on and taught at Centennial High School in Gresham, and now, he’s spending his third year with Cleveland.

Advice to high school students:

Here’s some advice Stutevoss wished he had been given throughout high school: “Don’t sweat the small stuff.” Some things might seem like the end of the world in the moment, but for better or for worse, none of it is going to matter in five or ten years. He would also like to encourage students to try new things. “Always go for it. Always give it a shot. Always put your name in the hat. Never play the ‘what if’ game,” he said. – Xinyi Lu