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December 6, 2018Ms. Robyn Spangler has always known she wanted to be a teacher. Now in her fourth year teaching English at VASJ, she is always bubbly, bright, and cheerful and is often heard through the halls.
She chose a career in teaching due to her love of high school and teaches classes for every grade level; Honors English IV with the seniors, Creative Writing with all grade levels, and CP English III with juniors.
I recently had the chance to sit down and talk to her as a part of VASJ’s Digital Media Class. I was able to talk to her about school, her job, and her students, and she shared with me some fantastic insights into her view from the front of the classroom.
She talked about her enjoyment of extracurriculars, clubs, and classes, and how her love of her time in high school made her want to come back and teach. Her true passion has always been music but since there are not a lot of music teacher positions available and she wanted “job security,”, she followed another passion of hers which is English and Literature.
Spangler believes that VASJ is truly a family and that the diversity of her students is what makes the teaching worthwhile.
“I went to a Catholic school for 12 years and only chose VASJ because of the opening,” she laughed. “But really, I came because it was a Catholic school with an opening, and I decided to stay because of the diversity of the student body and faculty.”
Prior to coming to VASJ, she was a teacher in Parma for a year and before that taught in China. “It was a different experience,” she says. When asked if she would ever consider going back to China, she said, “Yes, but only for summer periods.”
Spanger believes that her students are the key to maintaining a happy classroom. Her students inspire her to be her best self every day, and she, in turn, inspires them.
“I’m astounded by the amount of optimism and positivity the kids have every day,” Spangler says. “The hope for the future and the attitude of my students is what inspires me.”
When asked if she has ever considered doing something else, she thought about it for a bit, and said, “If I had to be something other than a teacher, it would probably be something in marketing, something that let me use my creative talents.”
But her love for teaching is so strong that even if an opportunity came about to change careers, Spangler is staying where she is.
She loves to read and her all-time favorite book is The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck.
“For (college), I’m reading First They Killed My Father, for fun, The Namesake, and for (high school), I’m re-reading the Crucible for the, what seems like, millionth time!”
When she isn’t teaching, attending graduate school, or read, Spangler also enjoys cooking, trying new restaurants, and spending time with her parrot.
She believes everyone has something to offer the world, but she didn’t feel that way about herself in high school.
“I want my students to value themselves, and find something about themselves that they can appreciate and love,” Spangler says. “I don’t want others to experience the same things I did.”
Spangler is an amazing person and a fantastic teacher. Just ask her students.
“Ms. Spangler brings a fun perspective to learning English,” says Patrick Bradford ’19, a member of her Honors English IV class. “She is engaging and very informative, and that’s what truly makes her class stand out.”.
William Cartwright is a senior at VASJ. In addition to being a part of Digital Media, William is also a member of Drama Club, Academic Challenge, Book Club, AV Club (audiovisual), and NHS. After high school, he plans to attend Cleveland State University and major in English in order to become a teacher.
