New Faces

By Mark Ptak
Here at South Allegheny, it seems nothing stays the same for very long. But one thing is certain: each year brings a handful of hopeful new faces. Two of which, Aaron Beck and Jesse McPherson, are prospective teachers fresh to the SA staff. Both coming from different backgrounds, they shared similar beliefs and ideas in their careers.
Currently a building substitute, Mr. Beck came here already familiar with the background of this school. As a proud SA graduate, it was one of the reasons that influenced his acceptance of the job offer. From high school, he attended Waynesburg University, a college just outside of Pittsburgh. Surprisingly enough, teaching was not his first choice as a major. “When I started off in college, I planned on majoring in communications, but I realized I didn’t want to do that as a full-time job. So I went into history and saw that I could do that full-time.” Instead, he earned a degree in teaching and secured a job as a substitute teacher here at SA, hoping to give back to the community.
His charitable attitude was reflected in his assistance of Mr. Edward’s recent production, “Employees Must Wash Hands… Before Murder.” Beck also hopes to revive the theater productions, making them an even bigger hit.
His belief was that a good teacher was, most importantly, adaptable, able to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of students, and able to plan their lessons accordingly. If given the opportunity, Beck hopes to apply this to his career, possibly as a full-time teacher at South Allegheny.
On the other hand, Mr. McPherson came to this school with experience already under his wing. This year would mark his third year of teaching, previously a teacher at Fox Chapel.
The decision to undertake education as a career was influenced by the fact that his father shared the same profession. He went through with his aspirations, attending Allegheny College, but found the university did not have a teaching program. After graduating, McPherson worked at a bank for a period of time but went back to college to obtain a master’s degree.
Here at South Allegheny, he teaches Algebra I as well as SAT prep. He hopes to gain a good experience, as well as working with the close-knit staff members. Another benefit of his job is being able to incorporate the brand new technology recently contributed to the ninth grade staff. On the topics of effective teaching, McPherson believes, “A good teacher needs to know how each of their students learn, as well as being caring for their students.”
Proudly, McPherson supposes maintaining a high quality of teaching while still being involved is one of his greatest achievements. As a former coach of soccer and basketball, he would know about dedication and hard work. Working at SA long-term is definitely an option for McPherson, though it would depend on his personal life, being a recent newlywed and wanting to hopefully settle down.