Landreth Lands Teaching Position
Former Mustang takes on chemistry and biology classes after getting her teaching credential
By Luhanna Abella
Former Mustang takes on chemistry and biology classes after getting her teaching credential
By Luhanna Abella
Since the start of quarantine there have been numerous drastic changes Pioneer had to keep up with, but this didn’t stop former student teachers from taking on the challenge of becoming a teacher.
Allyson Landreth graduated from Pioneer High School in 2015 and earned a degree in Biological Science from San José State University. She is now teaching chemistry and biology honors. Due to social distancing and online school, Landreth’s journey as a teacher has started differently than those before her. “This is my first job as a public school teacher. It is certainly odd to start off my teaching career by teaching online, but I am adjusting” said Landreth. During this pandemic, teachers have had to convert learning activities to be accessible online, but Landreth has done a great job streamlining her teaching virtually, according to one of her biology honors students, Masha Ileslamlou, 11. “Ms. Landreth’s lessons are very straightforward and organized. She creates slideshows for us which are easy to follow,” Ileslamlou said. “She even told us how to format our notebooks where we can easily pinpoint our learning objectives.” Brooke Jaques, 10, has Landreth for chemistry and finds it comforting to be checked on one-on-one, as it helps form a connection between herself and her teacher. |
“She is more energetic than most, and when I missed some school it felt really nice for her to personally check on me and want to help,” Jaques said. “Not many teachers did that so it felt nice.”
Rob Zaccheo, who taught Landreth during her time here, has worked in the science department for the past 25 years and feels that she is a great addition to the department. Zaccheo was Landreth’s mentor teacher and worked with her while she was finishing her teaching credential last year with his honors biology classes.
“She has a passion for learning and for helping others. One of the things she's always done is she just kind of puts her best foot forward, no matter what,” Zaccheo said.
While Landreth attended Pioneer High School, she was also taught by AP U.S. history teacher Peter Glasser.
“What I remember about her is that she always had this perfect balance between being such a wonderful, kind friend, but also being super focused and disciplined when it was time to work hard,” Glasser said.
Landreth initially became interested in teaching as a career after taking BioSITE sophomore year and realizing how teaching science was a great way to combine her passion for the environment and helping others. Zaccheo saw this spark and encouraged her to pursue it.
“She enjoyed teaching and working with others, her wanting to go into teaching, that was a passion of hers. I definitely encouraged her, I knew that she'd be really good at this job and she is,” Zaccheo said.
Seeing her students connect to and understand the concepts they are learning first hand excites Landreth the most about teaching.
“My favorite part of being a teacher is experiencing those ‘light bulb’ moments with students. I love witnessing when students suddenly get it or make a connection to something new,” said Landreth. “Those moments are extremely valuable, and I am always thrilled to be a part of that process for them.”
Outside of science, Landreth participates in and teaches dance as another form of connection between her peers and students.
“To stay physically active, I still take and teach dance classes throughout the week. It’s a great way to stay in shape, relieve stress, and stay connected to my fellow dancers and students. Dancing has also helped me stay emotionally sane during this pandemic,” Landreth said.
Though it has been difficult to process what is going on around the world right now, what Landreth encourages herself and everyone to do is to make time for themselves.
“Remember to make time for yourself and find ways to do what you love; doing so will help you get through the tough times. Being a teacher during this pandemic is without a doubt the most difficult adventure I’ve ever endured; it takes an immense amount of time and mental energy to design new lessons that are adaptable online,” said Landreth. “With that said, I am extremely thankful to be supported by the Pioneer staff.”
Rob Zaccheo, who taught Landreth during her time here, has worked in the science department for the past 25 years and feels that she is a great addition to the department. Zaccheo was Landreth’s mentor teacher and worked with her while she was finishing her teaching credential last year with his honors biology classes.
“She has a passion for learning and for helping others. One of the things she's always done is she just kind of puts her best foot forward, no matter what,” Zaccheo said.
While Landreth attended Pioneer High School, she was also taught by AP U.S. history teacher Peter Glasser.
“What I remember about her is that she always had this perfect balance between being such a wonderful, kind friend, but also being super focused and disciplined when it was time to work hard,” Glasser said.
Landreth initially became interested in teaching as a career after taking BioSITE sophomore year and realizing how teaching science was a great way to combine her passion for the environment and helping others. Zaccheo saw this spark and encouraged her to pursue it.
“She enjoyed teaching and working with others, her wanting to go into teaching, that was a passion of hers. I definitely encouraged her, I knew that she'd be really good at this job and she is,” Zaccheo said.
Seeing her students connect to and understand the concepts they are learning first hand excites Landreth the most about teaching.
“My favorite part of being a teacher is experiencing those ‘light bulb’ moments with students. I love witnessing when students suddenly get it or make a connection to something new,” said Landreth. “Those moments are extremely valuable, and I am always thrilled to be a part of that process for them.”
Outside of science, Landreth participates in and teaches dance as another form of connection between her peers and students.
“To stay physically active, I still take and teach dance classes throughout the week. It’s a great way to stay in shape, relieve stress, and stay connected to my fellow dancers and students. Dancing has also helped me stay emotionally sane during this pandemic,” Landreth said.
Though it has been difficult to process what is going on around the world right now, what Landreth encourages herself and everyone to do is to make time for themselves.
“Remember to make time for yourself and find ways to do what you love; doing so will help you get through the tough times. Being a teacher during this pandemic is without a doubt the most difficult adventure I’ve ever endured; it takes an immense amount of time and mental energy to design new lessons that are adaptable online,” said Landreth. “With that said, I am extremely thankful to be supported by the Pioneer staff.”