A passion for history, teaching

History teacher Ms. Jenny Uhalde will be taking some time off this semester because she’s going to be having a baby, but she’s spent the last six years working at Armijo. She actually started teaching about 14 years ago, but she’s always had an interest in young people. “You have to have patience and you have to like what you do,” she said. “You can’t just go for the money!”

Everybody needs to find a way to fund their passions, though. When she was in high school in Seattle, she worked as a nanny. She tried other jobs that were away from children. In college she worked at a front desk and later she worked at a restaurant, but those jobs were not nearly as fulfilling as working with students.

Ms. Uhalde enjoys her students but she also enjoys her subject. She studied locally, at UC Davis and has stayed in the area ever since. Over the years, she’s seen classrooms in a variety of sizes and shapes, and that is one thing about the Armijo campus that she has seen as a challenge. Teachers who have moved from classroom to classroom have been challenged to use their materials effectively and consistently from year to year, and students can have a wide range of experiences with crowded classrooms or open space, depending on the rooms they move in to throughout the day.

While she’s slowed down in anticipation of her baby, Ms. Uhalde does like to be outdoors, either walking with her four-year old dog, who is “really big and furry,” or going for a run. She also likes it when she gets a chance to read. She likes to read a lot!

Two years ago, Ms. Uhalde had her first child, who will become a big sister soon.