Psychology’s new mind

There are a lot of new faces on campus this year and every few days, Wingspan is sitting down with some of the new staff members. Next up, psychology teacher Emily Griffin.

Wingspan: Where did you go to college and what did you study?

Griffin: “I went to Texas Women’s University and I majored in history and minored in education.”

Wingspan: Do you generally have a fondness for this school and it’s staff so far for the time that you’ve been here which is very short?

Griffin: “I do, I really love the social studies department is great and then I talk to a lot of friends and other schools and they just don’t have the same support system I do here and I really like that.”

Wingspan: Would you say they’re very different school district wise (Frisco and McKinney) since you’ve experienced both?

Griffin: “There are some similarities and some differences the block schedules is the biggest difference but I think the quality of teachers is pretty similar.”

Wingspan: How would you describe yourself in one to two words?

Griffin: “So hard…I would say open minded.”

Wingspan: So this is your first year teaching, is there anything that has changed in the midst of you going from a student to now teacher and how does it affect the way you teach your students since you were a student like not too long ago?

Griffin: “I think the most important thing that I get since I was so recently a student is to build relationships with the students I have. That’s also why I like Liberty because that’s a big focus that they have here. So I think building relationships and having discipline but not in a mean way.”

Wingspan: Psychology can be a really interesting subject. So do you think your students feel the same way and what do you have to say to those who don’t feel this way?

Griffin: “I mean I think by the end of the year you’ll definitely feel that way the beginning stuff can be a little bit dry but we get to do a lot of fun stuff and if anything I think take away from psychology that everybody’s a little bit different and at our core we’re all people so we should all treat each other nicely. I think that’s what I want all my students to understand from psychology.”

Wingspan: Do you think as a teacher you have a responsibility to teach high school students;are sensitive to the outside world going through a lot of changes?

Griffin: “Absolutely. That’s why I wanted to teach high school because I like to see you guys transitioning into you know adults and to citizens and I want to
make sure that you’re productive members of society and just good people in general.”

Wingspan: How do you think you keep your classes engaging in hopes of teaching effectively at the same time?

Griffin: “I try to incorporate activities as much as I can and some people prefer the lectures but a lot of you guys like activities. So I try to have a mix of the two and when I do have lectures at least try to show clips or funny stories and stuff that you guys will appreciate and really help you understand the
material.”

Wingspan: Is it tough filling on for another teacher?

Griffin: “I do kind of think there’s like a little bit of pressure and I know some kids came in and were a little bit disappointed that they didn’t have Mrs. Little as a teacher. I don’t know about filling her shoes as much as I just want to do a good job then eventually be on par with that she was doing.”

Wingspan: Are interactive games or strict textbook notes better for teaching psychology and what do you prefer?

Griffin: “I think kind of the way psychology works to me is you have to have an understanding of like what we’re doing now and how the brain works but then once you get past that you can really use those activities and I think they’re a lot better because you’re going to remember using your hands and like yeah going around the room and like actually experiencing it rather than just learning it”.

Wingspan: In your opinion are high schoolers the most sensitive to the undermining effects of society?

Griffin: “I think high school especially depending on the grade can be because you want to be adults and you’re so close but at the same time there are a lot of aspects where people still treat you guys like children and in some ways you should be, but in others we need to also treat you like you’re about to be adults.”

Wingspan: Lastly would you say the teachings of psychology dictate the manner in which you speak and interact with others?

Griffin: “I think it can make you kind of not like diagnose people but be able to understand people in general. So sometimes if you see somebody do something and you normally think about why are they doing that? It kind of gives you an understanding well maybe there are other reasons and I shouldn’t judge them. I should just accept them for who they are.”