8 That sounds familiar... College myths debunked Matilda von Kalm Editor-In-Chief he moment I found out I was going to Florida State University, I called up my best friend, who went up to FSU last year, to start planning our living arrangements. I was surprised when she told me it would be a bad idea to live in the same dorm together. “You don’t understand how many friendships I have seen ruined that way,” she told me. I didn’t understand how that could be true, until I went up to visit her. According to my friend’s biology partner, the best friend and roommate relationship is usually a rapid deterioration from, “Oh it’s okay she watches Netflix without headphones,” to “ Why does she think breathing in the same room as me is okay, because it’s not.” Even the established idea of more sleep in college was false. Turns out the late night hangouts and early morning classes add up to approximately four hours of sleep on weekdays, even less than I get now. I couldn’t believe it; I went to bed at 3 a.m. and was waking up at 7 a.m. to escort my friend to her chemistry class, and she wasn’t even phased. No wonder there are three different Starbucks locations on campus. Though my time up at FSU was an enlightening perspective on the next four years of my life, I returned home exhausted and ready to go back to the 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. schedule I had hated for so long. All the rumors I had heard about college were very much true, and though I will probably end up in a comatose in the matter of weeks on I start college, I can at least revel in the one college myth I discovered was absolutely false. Freshman fifteen? Not a thing if you don’t have a car. Walking an average of ten miles a day does a pretty good job of balancing out the Ramen Noodles meals.
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lifestyles
The education of teacher love Haley Gaeser
Lifestyles Editor hen couples move in together and finally tie the knot, they expect to spend a lot of time with each other. Their usual daily routines intertwine and they figure out how to live their lives as husband and wife, but while most couples work separate jobs, there are the few that get to be together every step of the day, namely teachers. Lauren and Brett Hamilton met through mutual friends after they both were already working at Hagerty. The two hit it off and got married a few years later. Since Lauren’s father was an English teacher like she was, and her mother was a PE coach like Brett, their marriage was meant to be. Even though they work together, the Hamilton’s have different morning and afternoon schedules. “We take separate cars to and from school because I take Baylor to his babysitter in the morning,” Brett said. “She likes to get to school as early as humanly possible.” The two of them have learned over the years how to maintain a healthy work relationship. They fight like normal couples but are professional enough to never bring it out during school hours. “Working together has strengthened our relationship. We always run ideas off of each other for inspiration,” Lauren said. Around the same time the Hamiltons started teaching, the Malkoviches joined the Husky family
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Spending time together is important for all married couples, but while Brett and Lauren barely see each other throughout the day, Brandi and Matt get to spend a lot of time together. They even call each other during class and out of the 180 days of school, they eat around 160 lunches together. “If we were not here, there would be some days we would never see each other. She goes to bed at 8 p.m. every night and I consider her to be the oldest 32 year-old I know,” Matt said. While the salary for teachers is not ideal, they do what they do for the vacation time they get and for the students. It is a type of job meant for a family person. “If someone were to offer me an extra $10,000 for another job, I would turn them down. Money does not make me happy,” Brett said. “Spending time with her and my family does.”
too. Matt and Brandi grew up together in the small town of Benton, Ill. and became golf partners. They bonded by playing in tournaments with each other. Matt knew since freshman year of high school that he always wanted to be a teacher, but Brandi’s sights were set on being a professional golfer. After her golfing career did not work out in Chicago, he convinced her to take a Biology job when there was an opening. Although Matt has some prior knowledge of anatomy through Brandi’s job and by coaching, when it comes to certain aspects of it, he gets grossed out easily. “After I gave birth, the first thing people asked when they called was not whether or not I was okay, but rather how Matt was,” Brandi said. Matt also teaches AP Government, something that Brandi never liked. She is more scientific and just never had the desire to learn about social studies. However, Matt has the highest level of respect when it comes to her job as many students choose not to take anatomy due to it not being an AP class. Like the Hamiltons and Malkoviches, Pam and Chas Lynch teach very different subjects: French and Computer Apps. While Pam is more artistic, Chas is the more technical and left-minded of the two. “One of the perks is not needing to ask an IT guy for help because I can just ask my husband,” Pam said.
LUNCH LOVE. Matt and Brandi Malkovich tease each other with a carrot. The Malkoviches eat lunch together almost every day at school.
it’s how to ask people out, how to break up with them and what to do when they screw up,” Christodoulides said. Whether students choose to believe it or not, teachers were at one point in high school. They underwent the same struggles teenagers go through now and worked through the same break ups everyone experiences. Teachers are also knowledgeable in helping students ask others out. English teacher Lauren Hamilton has helped students arrange Valentine’s Day gift deliveries and Christodoulides frequently works with students and their crushes. Relationship-wise, teachers do not mind having two students in one class that are dating. Teachers are fine with students dating as long as they can still focus on what is happening in the classroom academically. “Most of the time, they are pretty mature about it. They won’t always sit together, which I like,” English teacher Helen Reed said. “It’s the breakup that’s kind of tough where they now sit at opposite sides of the room.”
Despite breakups being awkward, the majority of teachers generally support dating in high school. “I think it’s a rite of passage,” math teacher Carolyn Guzman said. Dating is not the only topic that students ask teachers about. Teachers are open to giving advice to students on any topic, including academics, college questions, parent problems and homelife in general. Considering homelife, students who confide in teachers should know that if they talk about home abuse or neglect, by law the teacher must report the information. “I always let students know my professional obligation if I feel the conversation could be heading that way,” Hamilton said. “Usually, the student wants help and continues, and I’m happy to get them the help and information they need.” As liberating as asking advice can be for students, teachers enjoy being sought out just as much. They enjoy the personal connection it can create with students in and out of the classroom. “I love students. I love talking to them. I like getting to know them,” Reed said.
Photo by Jake Burton
Teachers advise students on life Winnie Meyer
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Reviews Editor
ommonly, when seeking out advice or help with personal problems, teenagers go to their friends, and, if forced to talk to an adult, their parents. Nobody ever considers consulting a teacher. However, teachers help students with their personal and academic issues more than most people know. “I know more than I want to know, and more than they want me to know, but I do,” math teacher Aglaia Christodoulides said. Students confide themselves in teachers because they can get an experienced answer to their problems. It is a break from teenager opinion. “I ask about things I can’t ask other students because I’ll feel judged,” sophomore Leslie Gallagher said. Christodoulides, and other teachers frequently receive students asking for advice with their personal problems. “[Students] ask me a lot of things. Mainly,