Before becoming a history teacher, Mr. Andrew Tkach went to Davis Senior High, Whitworth University, and got his Masters’ and teaching credential from UC Santa Barbara. He worked for a refugee resettlement agency and a catering company, but it seems like working as a substitute teacher and a youth pastor — just working with kids, in general –struck a chord with him. So far he has taught U.S. History, Race and Social Justice, Economics, and Government.

“I became a teacher because I enjoy working with youth and helping them develop and learn as people,” Mr. Tkach said. “I also enjoy a career that I get to continue learning and being creative in.”

He clearly practices what he preaches as he has stuck around Armijo for five years, even through a pandemic! While “teaching can be a rewarding profession,” he said, “I did not enjoy teaching online.”

It is understandably hard to teach a class when you are just talking on a screen for hours with hardly any interaction. Mr. Tkach found it difficult to take a mentorship position in his students’ lives and guide them toward following their interests and making their dreams a reality, especially when teaching online “made it challenging to really understand what their needs were.”

But when he isn’t teaching, Mr. Tkach likes to unwind with his family. “My wife and I have two dogs, so we love spending time with them and taking them for walks. I also play soccer and video games. Whenever I can, I enjoy camping and travelling to new areas,” he said. He also hangs out with his three siblings, of which he is the youngest, and is glad they all live close by.