What school did you go to?
[I went to elementary school at] St. Joseph’s Catholic School in Colorado, Mo. For middle school, I went to the Francis Howell School District. Back then, they [were] called junior high schools, [and] I was at Hollenbeck Junior High for my seventh and eighth grade year. [For] my high school years, I was at Francis Howell.
How was your childhood home life?
My home life was good. My grade school experience wasn’t good, so home was like a safe place. Home was where I became a video gamer, where I got into music. I got really into the 80’s culture at that time. I have a lot of good memories [of] both of my parents, [as] a child, so I was very fortunate. I didn’t live in a broken household or anything, so no complaints about my upbringing.
What has changed, what hasn’t?
Parents today are a lot more hands-on, which is both good and bad. I was doing stuff I had no business doing when I was growing up: driving too fast, going to too many parties, staying out too late. You can infer what else that led to. The pendulum has swung the other way now, and a lot of parents –- there are still some hands-off parents, of course –- are very hands-on. It isn’t necessarily bad, although it can make kids feel like they don’t have any self-efficacy. A lot of young people today are really scared about adulting because they haven’t been prepared. Their parents take care of everything instead of saying, ‘You figure it out.’ I’m not saying it’s all bad today [or that] the way I was raised was perfect, but the biggest difference is parents today tend to be much more involved in what their kids are doing — for better or worse.
When did you know you wanted to be a teacher and teach this subject?
Tell me a childhood story that always makes you smile.
Growing up, my dad usually worked the evening shift at the Southwestern Bell Telephone Company. He worked from 4 p.m. to midnight. At midnight on Saturdays, [there was] a TV station, Channel 11, that would always show reruns of “The Three Stooges.” So, every Saturday night, my dad would try to get home early, bring us White Castle and sit up and watch “The Three Stooges” [together]. As a kid, getting to stay up till midnight was already amazing. Getting to stay up at midnight to hang out with your dad, who you didn’t see a whole lot during the week, was even more amazing. And he brought White Castle. What’s not to love about that?
What things make you nostalgic when you see them/hear them/smell them/ feel them?
The smell of White Castle. The smell of doughnuts, because we used to get warm donuts a lot growing up. Music is a big trigger for me [too]. Any type of ‘80s pop or rock music I love.
![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)
![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)
![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)
