Jefferson Sheridan

Having lived in Cupertino all his life, long-term substitute teacher Jefferson Sheridan is no stranger to the culture at MVHS as he was  Scott Victorine’s long-term substitute for a couple of months during hybrid instruction. Sheridan is currently Hilary Barron’s long-term social science substitute teaching World Core and U.S. Government. 

 

“I really appreciate the people I've gotten to know and all the students I've worked with,” Sheridan said. “It's really nice to be able to have that shared set of values.”

 

Sheridan’s interest in teaching began during his time at UC Santa Cruz, where he served as an instructional assistant in an introductory psychology class. The process of creating lesson plans and content and teaching it to students was very “nerve-wracking” for Sheridan, although he describes that witnessing the impact he made on his students made the hard work worth it for him.

 

He shares that being an educator allows him to “foster interest and passion in topics” for his students. However, he explains that an important part of this process — communicating with students — was challenged last year for the two months that he taught in a hybrid-learning format, especially because it was his first year as a teacher.

 

“I didn't really feel like I was able to get to know any of the students or offer as much one-on-one help, which is what I really have a passion for.” Sheridan said. “I didn't feel like the students were as comfortable engaging with me or asking questions.”

 

However, during his first couple of months at MVHS during hybrid instruction, as well as in his experience teaching this year, Sheridan says he is amazed by the support he receives from his fellow staff members. 

 

“[The staff] honestly saved me as a first-year teacher coming in,” Sheridan said. “It's a lot of work, and the staff has really gone above and beyond to help support me to get going in the right direction … I was really impressed with how much work and kindness [they] put in to make sure I was going to be able to succeed.”