Teacher Spotlight
Q&A with Teacher Shayna Meehan
Social Studies Teacher, Rye Lake Campus Middle-High School
Shayna Meehan is in her third year teaching Social Studies to students in grades 9-12 at Rye Lake Campus Middle-High School. A Rockland County native, her own teachers encouraged her for years to become one herself. She shares what brought her to SWBOCES, what makes Rye Lake Campus a special place and her unique way of eating Oreos.
Q. Why did you choose to become a high school teacher?
“I knew I wanted to teach high school because I knew you could really talk to the students and learn about them, especially here (at Rye Lake). I have them for multiple years in a row, and we’re very close. Also, I get to influence them in that last stage where they’re not adults yet but trying to become one. I loved my high school teachers. I liked talking to them all of the time. They changed the direction my life was going. They had a lot of influence on me. I also liked social studies because you get to talk about real-world things."
Q. What brought you to SWBOCES to teach?
“What attracted me to this role is what you see happening here now (points to students milling about her classroom during lunch). We know them very well, so I know when someone’s having a problem or when someone is in a really good mood. It’s a deeper relationship than in a traditional school where you don’t have as much time with each student. Here it’s more rewarding because you get to have a bigger impact on their lives and what they’re doing. We can influence, hopefully, their decisions to do better.”
Q. Who inspired you on your career path?
“My inspiration was my high school English teacher, Ms. Gleason. I actually taught at Nanuet High for a year before I came here, and her daughter was at school there that year. Here I would say the kids and the staff inspire me every day.”
Q. What is the biggest challenge teaching high school?
“The challenge I would say is unpredictability. You’ve got to maneuver your day every day. Who’s going to be here? Who’s going to be pulled out for something? You don’t always know what’s going to happen even though you’ve made a plan.”
Q. Is there a fun part to it?
“It is fun sometimes. They’re funny. When you listen to high school kids talk all day, they can be hilarious. Sometimes I’ll have seven girls come into my classroom and say, ‘We want to sit here at lunch. Can we?’ Also I’m young so it helps me relate to them more. They’ll say things, and I’ll say, ‘I know what you’re talking about. I’m your generation.’ So I understand them pretty well."
Q. What makes Rye Lake Campus a special place?
“The relationship between staff and students is what makes it work here, what makes it special, because it helps them feel like they have somewhere to go. I would say that is the best part about it because you get to know the kids really well and then you can help them. Sometimes you have the kids who will always talk to you. You’re changing what they do every day and changing how they’re going to be later on in life. And then they trust you too.”
Lightning Round
Favorite team: Yankees
Oreo style: “I take a fork and then I stick it in between the cream, and then I dip the whole thing in milk.”
Favorite Music or Artist: I was a big One Direction fan in high school.
Hobbies: Reading, walking her dog Percy, a Pit-Mix, binge watching shows, listening to true-crime podcasts
What shows are you binging now: “I’m catching up on old seasons of Survivor.”
Best travel destination: Galway, Ireland (where she studied abroad)
Dream destination: Australia
From time to time we'll chat with one of our many talented and dedicated Southern Westchester BOCES teachers, putting a spotlight on them to highlight
