What makes a teacher want to work at Bridgewater-Raritan High School?

Is it the outdoor campus?

The great reputation of high-quality education?

The variety of clubs available to choose from?

For Patricia Guzman, a Spanish Teacher at  Bridgewater-Raritan High School, it has kept her here for 22 years.

She first accepted her enrollment at the school in 2003. Feeling enthusiastic, she was excited to see what teaching at this unique, substantial school would be like.

Students in Ms. Guzman’s class file into the classroom with smiles and interested minds. In all her years of teaching, she has worked with and valued every one of her students. She is kind, compassionate and is not afraid to challenge students in class. The Prowler asked Ms. Guzman what kept her teaching in this school system for so long. 

“The students have always been my number one reason for coming back each and every single day. Plus, I have always had the best teacher friends in the World Language Department, too! Through the years, I met some great friends all around the school in different departments,” she said.

Taking from experience, Ms. Guzman is an excellent teacher who truly cares about her students and is willing to take the time to teach all of her students in different ways.

For example, in the morning, she starts the day by doing a warm-up. This gets all the students’ minds focused on Spanish class rather than whatever class they had prior. Additionally, the warm-up serves as a review of what we’ve done the day before.

Avery Howard, a current student in her class, knows she is an exceptional teacher.

“She’s nice, encouraging, and makes sure that everyone has fun while learning,” Howard claimed.

Ms. Guzman also elaborated on why she pursued a teaching career in the first place.

“This is my first and only job. It has become a home to me in my heart,” Ms. Guzman said.

Bridgewater-Raritan High School makes her feel at home when she walks through the doors. An effective teacher is one who is passionate about teaching her students and is willing and wants to come to work every day to see her students succeed. 

Ms. Guzman spoke on her favorite aspects of the school community.

“I love the diversity here at BRHS and the large number of world languages that they teach,” she said.

At Bridgewater-Raritan High School, students are able to choose from several different world languages, and one can select from an abundance of various clubs. Ms.Guzman was drawn into the school system by the diversity and inclusion of world languages. 

For any successful teacher of 22 years, not everything was easy or straightforward. Ms. Guzman addressed some of the challenges she faced during her teaching career.

“Things surely are a bit different post-pandemic and with technology.I miss when we didn’t have much of that and we had to talk to each other around the clock so much more,” she said.

The roll-through of the pandemic changed how school is today. Currently, students have cell phones and Chromebooks in-hand to use during class. Ms. Guzman personally enjoys face-to-face communication and the engagement of being in class rather than worrying about how much time is left in class.

Staying in a school system for so long has given her time to grow and expand her knowledge of future students. Ms. Guzman spoke on some of the ways she grew as an educator over the years.

“I think that personally I have gained some confidence in teaching and have also learned to be much more patient and open, all while setting clear boundaries to enhance learning,” she said.

Even with the pandemic, different students’ teaching styles and cell phones, Ms. Guzman does not let discouragement get in the way of creating a remarkable environment to learn in and keeping a positive attitude every day.

Bridgewater-Raritan High School is lucky to have her as an exemplary teacher.