Among the many new teachers on campus for the 2023-24 school year is Andrew Lamas who is teaching AP Human Geography and World History. Before coming to campus he taught world culture and theater at Stafford MIddle School and is looking forward to this year. Growing up in Frisco, he went to Rogers Elementary School, Staley Middle School, and Wakeland High School. He went to the University of Arkansas and graduated from University of North Texas. He enjoys playing board games and collecting shoes. Wingspan sat down with Lamas to find out more about who he is as a teacher. 

Wingspan: What made you want to be a teacher? What was your motivation and reason behind that?

Lamas: “I actually worked with a children theater for eight years and I really liked working with the kids there. I was looking into different jobs that I could work with children and staff members, so I actually ended up teaching theater for two years before deciding to go back into social studies. So that is one of the reasons I got into teaching.”

Wingspan: Why did you choose to teach here?

Lamas: “Well, I grew up in Frisco and I went to all my first and secondary schooling here. I loved teaching for Frisco ISD, and I actually taught at Stafford Middle School last year. My dad, the other Mr. Lamas, also works here, so I thought it would be cool to work with family, but also I just really wanted to move to an high school environment. There was also an open social studies position, which helped.”

Wingspan: Do you like teaching here so far and why or why not?

Lamas: “Yeah, I love teaching here at Liberty High School. The students are great, the staff and the admins are awesome and really supportive, and the school has a good culture so I truly like it here.”

Wingspan: What was your best experience of teaching?

Lamas: “My best experience was when I came back to Frisco as a teacher and I got to experience working collaboratively with students at Stafford Middle School. Coming back into the culture that I grew up in and how I experienced working with students in a similar way that I learned was the best experience of teaching just overall.”

Wingspan: What is something challenging that you’ve learned to overcome here on campus?

Lamas: “So, I never taught two classes before because for the past few years, I only taught one class at a time. Therefore, just the extra preparation I have to put in was one of the challenges. Also, I did not take AP Human Geography as a student so having to learn the class materials a couple of steps ahead of the students and just making sure I am prepared and ready to go on all of my stuff for both classes was a challenge that I have learned to overcome here on campus.”

Wingspan: Which unit are you most excited to teach as a teacher in your subject and why?

Lamas: “For AP Human Geography, I am excited about the migration unit and the political movement as I am really interested in that. For world history, I am really excited for the Classical Civilizations unit, which is coming up. I am a huge Roman Greece person so I really like learning and teaching that part of history.”

Wingspan: How do you think you can further improve your teaching?

Lamas: “Learning new ways to engage students and to create creative ways to implement different activities as well as text resources is something I can do to improve my teaching. Currently, my goal is to balance paper and tech assignments and I think that if I do that, I can really improve.”

Wingspan: What are your thoughts on this campus besides teaching? Like the environment or atmosphere between students and teachers, teacher to teacher, or student to student.

Lamas: “I think the atmosphere here is quite great. I actually think that this school has the most positive atmosphere I have ever been to as a teacher. The students want to know about me, have conversations outside the classroom material, and the teachers are awesome. In the social studies department, we have lunch together every day so it is really cool to catch up and learn about each other. On the admins side, they are very supportive of everything I have been a part of so far. I get opportunities to learn new things and advance my knowledge as a teacher so I think that the culture here is phenomenal.”

Wingspan: What are your goals for this year besides teaching and why do you want to pursue them?

Lamas: “I have been married for a little over a year, so we are past the initial mark of figuring out married lives. My goal is to just see and look out for what comes next in this journey, and to see how my wife and I are planning for that.” 

Wingspan: What are some hobbies you like to do in your free time and why?

Lamas: “I really like to play board games during my free time. My two favorites are Moonrankers and Settlers of Catan. I also like to go country dancing, like Two Steps, and swing dancing. I have been doing them since I was younger so I think I still held on to it.”

Wingspan: As a final question, what are some fun facts about you and how did that come to be?

Lamas: “I was actually once accused of being of a spy in Russia. So basically, I was working with a group teaching English in Russia, and my supervisors were accused of being American spies. The Russian Government soon enough decided that they did not want my supervisors there. A fifteen minute news report later my supervisors got deported, but I was allowed to stay and that is a fun fact about me!”