Is That a Phone?!

BANG BANG! That is the sound of a mallet hitting Ms. McCauley’s desk–the sound you will awake to if you fall asleep in her class. McCauley, a Social Studies teacher at Long Reach High School, is an outstanding teacher who cares for her students and wants to see them succeed.

McCauley has been teaching since 1983, which is 34 years. Each year, she has done her best to encourage her students to do well, give help to students who need it, and inspire them to become something great.

She believes the most effective way to teach her students is to “review and explain content with [her] students.” To put this into practice, McCauley gives her students a variety of ways to review before tests and quizzes. For instance, she verbally reviews the content, shows the students PowerPoints, plays Kahoot with them, and plays the review game “I Have Who Has?”

Senior Khalil Howard is one student who recognizes Mrs. McCauley as an outstanding teacher.  “What I’ve learned in her class is outstanding history that has been in past years like the Enlightenment, the Renaissance, and more,” he reflects.

Teaching for 34 years can bring some great memories. McCauley’s first great memory teaching was when she taught at Oakland Mills High School. “[My first nice memory of teaching was] when the very first student told me I inspired her to become a teacher,” she recalls.

When one teaches for as long as McCauley has, one will be able to reflect on how his or her strategy has evolved throughout the years. McCauley’s first strategy was to be “as organized as possible and to put in as much time as possible.” McCauley still remains organized to this day; her papers are always organized very neatly. Her desk has stacks of papers with not one out of place.

Nowadays, McCauley says, “When I first started, there was not the technology that exists. Now I incorporate technology.” Even the simplest technology like a copier was not available when she first started teaching. Now, she can utilize the new inventions to her advantage.

As far as her teaching philosophy goes, she says, “I shall always do the very best I can for my students.”

Howard not also learned great things from McCauley’s class, but he also has good memories of his former Modern World History teacher. He says, “one nice memory I had in mind was when she was teaching and one of her students had their phone out and she made this weird face to that student and said, ‘Is that a phone?!”

Mrs. McCauley has been an inspiring, funny, friendly, and an overall magnificent teacher throughout the years, and students appreciate her.