This week, I sat down with one of Timpview’s most loved teachers: Mrs Van Orden. She teaches AP Language Arts, AP Seminar, and AP Research.

• What was your favorite subject in high school? Did you have a good high school experience?

I’ve known I wanted to be an English teacher since I was in 3rd grade. I’ve always loved books, and loved understanding other people’s experiences, it just opens up so much of the world. I also really liked history, and I’m a bit of a history buff, and if you have my class you know that. But yeah, I loved high school. I’ve always been nerdy.

• Is there a book that got you really into reading?

I am a huge fan of John Steinbeck’s East of Eden. I try to read it every year. It’s such an amazing book, because it basically talks about how we all have these moments in our lives where we have a tendency to not want to do the right thing or not be the right kind of person. In the East of Eden, it’s the idea that you get to choose who you become. It empowers you to decide who you want to be. It’s a retelling of the Cain and Abel story from the Bible, which I think is really, really fun. I also have periods where I love Louis L’amour Westerns, and periods where I read every book by Stephen King. I just love it all.”

• If you weren’t teaching language arts, what would you teach?

  

Oh, definitely social studies.

Me: Is there something in history that you think is most interesting?

I think you’ve heard me rant about this but I don’t think we know enough about African American history and Native American history. I would love love to be able to learn more about that.

• How do you remember a specific student? What makes a student memorable?

That’s a good question, ’cause I’ve taught a lot of students. I guess I just really like people. I’m lucky. It’s funny, ’cause I sometimes have conversations with my own children about what makes somebody a really good teacher. We talk about how it’s a weird combination of factors. 
It’s passion for the subject matter but it’s also passion for students, so I do think it’s easier for me than some people to really like students. I’m not somebody who gets angry with students; I expect you to be imperfect. I expect you to be teenagers, and I like you because you are who you are. So I just think I really enjoy people.

• What makes you feel like you taught an effective lesson?

I think that when I can tell that the students’ eyes light up. I can see that people are thinking, and so, if I’m getting responses from students like “oh wow”, “you know”, or “this is something I’m gonna remember,” then I feel like I’ve done my job. I also will have students who will say to me, ‘I forgot how much I love books’ and they’re finally reading and remembering.

• Has anything specific happened that has really changed the way you teach? 

I think that being a parent. Seeing the school system, through the eyes of my own children, has made me a much better teacher. [As a parent and teacher] you also just kind of get a sense of how hard it is to grow up and how much kids are dealing with. So yeah, it’s made me more empathetic to have my own children at Timpview.

Whether she’s diving into the complex themes of East of Eden, encouraging students to develop a love for books, or sharing history facts, Mrs. Van Orden is the kind of teacher who makes her class super engaging, and I’m always learning new things from her. She doesn’t just teach the material, she inspires students to think, to read, and to choose the person they want to become.