New teacher travels to success at NPHS
From the East Coast to the West Coast, Megan DaRold, Advanced Placement [AP] World History teacher, has shared her passion for history with students for four years. In addition to AP World History, she teaches a hybrid, seventh-period College Prep Government and Economics class that meets in person every Tuesday.
On July 30, DaRold flew from Long Island, New York, to California to live with her long-term boyfriend. The next morning, she interviewed at Newbury Park High School [NPHS] and found out she was accepted later that day. “It was the perfect first day in California,” DaRold said.
After graduating from the State University of New York at Oneonta, DaRold taught in Long Island for three and a half years. “I never had my own classroom. I was between two high schools and four classrooms. So having my own classroom [at NPHS] this year is a game-changer for me. I feel so much more comfortable, organized and settled,” DaRold said.
DaRold’s road to NPHS started long before university. “I always knew I wanted to be a teacher. I come from a family of teachers, and I used to play teacher when I was little,” DaRold said.
Her passion further developed during her senior year of high school in her AP Government course, when she made a connection between her lesson about the legislative branch and paying taxes in her new job. This moment inspired her to teach high schoolers, in hopes of fostering similar real-world connections in students. “I love history and I [can] really dive into it with the upper grades. […] Understanding the way the world works makes you a smarter human and citizen in our country, and I want my students to have that ‘aha’ moment that I got when I was an AP student,” DaRold said.
Since first becoming a teacher, DaRold has developed her teaching style by establishing a consistent routine in the classroom. She decided to start collecting students’ cellphones at the beginning of each class after she found that they were causing a distraction to students during her first year of teaching. “[Without phones,] students are fully immersed in our classroom. I didn’t do that my first year of teaching, and I did notice phones were a problem,” DaRold said. DaRold also uses “do-nows:” daily, digital assignments that students can start the moment they walk into the classroom. She notes that the “present” aspect of the NPHS school-wide initiative is a key value in her classroom. “I’m finding my footing, and I’m really loving [teaching],” DaRold said.
DaRold continues to educate herself on world history from 1200 to the present day. “My favorite thing to teach and learn about is the French Revolution,” DaRold said.
Just as strong as her connections between history and the present, DaRold has made new connections with her students and fellow NPHS staff in an overall smooth transition to teaching in California. “I’m so excited to be here, and I have been shown nothing but respect and kindness from both the students and staff. […] Even though I’ve only been here a couple of months, it feels like I’m home,” DaRold said.
