A new school year comes with returning students and teachers, along with new faculty members. Ms. Payton is the newest Integrated I & II Math teacher to join the San Dimas campus at the beginning of this year, and The Saint Scroll had the opportunity to introduce her and her journey to becoming a teacher.

Ms. Payton attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo for her degree. She went on to teach at Lynwood High School for 4 years, and Canyon High School for 5 years. When asked to to compare her previous experiences to now, she stated, “Pretty good. It’s smaller than the other schools that I’ve worked at, which is nice because when you walk in the halls you know more of the students, so I feel like the student body can be looked out for more. We all know a lot of students.” Her years of experience have made her an ideal teacher for a core subject such as math.

One of her favorite experiences of this year has been befriending the teachers that she shares a room with, Ms Bailey and Ms. Leaming. Despite her initial nerves, they make for great coworkers and friends.She recalled, “I was really nervous about it, but they have been really generous, so it hasn’t been too bad.” Their friendship has made her transition into this job much easier.

When asked what her goals were in regards to teaching she said, “I think my goal as an educator has always been to connect with students and help them to see their potential and to hopefully pass on a love for learning and a love for math.” It is evident that Ms. Payton’s drive to provide students with lifelong math skills and a safe learning environment will make her a familiar favorite on campus. Her passion for teaching grew from a love of people. She described this by saying, “I really like helping people, and over time it has really become the mentorship, I really like mentoring young people and helping them to make those decisions that are gonna move them forward in life.” Her unique view on teaching is sure to make an impact on her students.

Ms. Payton is an enthusiastic educator, and her guidance is sure to prepare her students for situations inside and out of the classroom.