![English teacher Andria Benmuvhar stands in front of the bookshelves in her English classroom. After experiencing great sacrifices by her parents for her well-being, Benmuvhar gained an appreciation for her childhood. “Neither of my parents had a college degree. They were not making that much money, but they still found a way to send me to a private high school. At the time, [it] was nowhere near how much it costs today, but it was still a sacrifice. My dad would [also] take us out and we would do all of these [fun] things. It wasn't until later when I realized how much debt my father was in. When he got his pension, he literally kissed all of his credit card bills. He kissed the envelopes to send off all the debt,” Benmuvhar said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Untitled-19-1200x800.jpg)
What school did you go to?
[For] elementary school, I went to St. Louis Evangelist. Then, in high school, I went to Cor Jesu Academy.
How was your childhood home life?
Pretty simple. [My family and I] lived in a pretty small house. I had to sleep on a pullout sofa bed from third grade through
eighth grade because my brother did not want to share a room with a little sister anymore. I had a corner of the basement where I had all my toys, so I got to play downstairs. Initially, it was great because the bed was huge. As I got older and my brother had friends over [who] stayed up late in the main room making noise [while] I was trying to go to sleep in the living room, it was kind of hard. My dad stayed up and watched TV, though, so I watched a lot of late night TV with my dad when I was growing up.
What has changed, what hasn’t?
[Kids] have more access to things than I did when I was a kid. A lot of that is just [because] technology is a lot different than it was. We had one phone for an entire household and had to worry about who was on the phone or how to use the internet with one phone line. Now, my kids can be on their own devices and talking to their friends and doing separate things in separate places. You don’t have to do as much together.
When did you know you wanted to be a teacher and teach this subject?
I knew I wanted to be a teacher all the way back in fourth grade. I would be in my little basement corner and I would set up my stuffed animals in rows. I had a grade book and I taught my stuffed animals how to draw. [But] I didn’t know I wanted to be an English teacher until I went to college. Initially, I was going to [teach] history, but I have no memory for dates. I was [also] really good with math, but I didn’t like how objective it was. Writing just made sense.
Tell me a childhood story that always makes you smile. Tell me a childhood story that doesn’t make you smile.
My family didn’t have a lot, but my aunt didn’t have any kids, so when I got to fourth grade, she would take me somewhere every summer because she loved to travel. I got to go to all sorts of places with her. I got to go to Hawaii, Florida, New York and Canada a couple of times. All of her generosity just opened [me] the world, and having those experiences when I was young was a lot of fun.
What things make you nostalgic when you see/hear/smell/ feel them?
Anything Christmas because it’s my favorite time of year. We’ve always had very solid Christmas traditions. As soon as the weather starts to turn, and the Christmas stuff starts coming out into stores, it’s just a happy time of year.
![English teacher Leslie Lindsey smiles for a photo behind her desk. Growing up, Lindsey participated in many things outdoors, learning life skills that she still uses today. “I loved fishing and was never grossed out by it. I could get my hands dirty and spend time outside; even when it was cold, I didn't care. Fishing takes a lot of patience, and that is [now] a virtue of mine because I have great patience that translates into my classroom,” Lindsey said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_6632-1-e1712758336310-1200x983.jpeg)
![Business and personal finance teacher Evan Stern stands in front of his classroom. After facing hardships growing up, Stern learned how to deal with them with the help of role models like his dad. “We dealt with some trauma when I was in middle school, and my dad had to be responsible for all three of us while he was working full-time. I know he had to sacrifice a lot. I'm sure it was really hard for him, but looking back on it, he did a really good job . I didn't appreciate everything that he did at the time because I was so young. Now, I'm engaged and probably going to have kids of my own in the next couple of years so I [am starting] to look at things differently,” Stern said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Untitled-7-1200x900.jpg)
![Art teacher Katy Mangrich sits in her classroom, smiling for a picture. During her time in high school, Mangrich learned several lessons that she now passes on to her son. “The biggest life lesson that I learned is honesty. I wouldn't say I was the best teenager, but I learned very quickly in high school to always be forthcoming and honest with my parents because it always ended up serving me better in the long run. [My parents] might have been upset with me [and the mistake I made], but I wasn't going down the rabbit hole of a lie because that was just going to get me into more trouble,” Mangrich said. “I passed [that lesson] along to my nephew. Honesty is always your best approach; just don’t lie. I say that to my son all the time. There's no advantage to lying, [and] that's a huge takeaway [from] how my parents raised me.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Screenshot-2024-01-26-10.10.12-AM.png)
![Social studies teacher Aaron Bashirian smiles in front of his classroom. Bashirian didn’t know he wanted to be a teacher from early on, but he found the choice to be a good one. “I started [teaching] because there was an opportunity for me to experiment with it. Fortunately, [teaching] was a good choice. In 2012, I became a teacher at Parkway at the Alternative Discipline Center, which is where they send suspended kids to keep being educated if they choose. I spent six years there and then I got drafted to West, [where] I've been for about six years,” Bashirian said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Untitled-35-1200x800.jpg)
![Family and Consumer Sciences teacher Katie Hashley stands beside a plate of cookies in front of her kitchen. Hashley wanted to be a teacher from an early age, but worked 10 years in the restaurant industry before she pursued the career. “I started imagining being a teacher when I was in third grade. At that time, I wanted to teach elementary school, but as I got older and matured and thought more about my career, I realized that wasn't the group that I would work best with. I went back and forth in college on what I wanted to do, and in the end, I [knew] high school was it for me. I also worked in restaurants for 10 years so [teaching] Culinary Arts was a natural transition [from] that,” Hashley said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Untitled-25-1200x800.jpg)
![Math teacher Kristen Judd smiles in front of her classroom. From a young age, Judd was motivated to become a teacher. “My parents were very against [me being a teacher]. I was a straight-A student and they thought that teaching was a waste of talent, so I actually started pre-med at Saint Louis University. Then, I found my own voice at the end of my freshman year. I said, ‘No. I know what I want to do. I really want to be a teacher,’ [and] I switched majors and switched schools,” Judd said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Untitled-8-1200x800.jpg)
![English teacher Angela Frye stands behind her desk in her classroom. Frye went through a lot of personal struggles to get to where she is today, and with each step in her life, she carries her gratitude for those obstacles. “Everything happens for a reason. I believe in [the concept of] good energy, good karma, [from] being a good person. Those are things I don't take lightly. [Struggles] build character. You really appreciate everything you have when you have to work for everything you have,” Frye said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Untitled-8-1200x800.jpg)
Emily Early • Dec 8, 2023 at 9:29 pm
Another amazing Flashback Friday from Sakenah :)))
Will Gonsior • Dec 11, 2023 at 10:23 am
Automatic.