The majority of the elective teachers at Warren are widely unknown. I want to share one of them with you today, Ms. Anderson. She has been a leader in the business department for many years, and I recently had the pleasure of taking her personal finance class. What stood out to me immediately was her energy to help students and really get them to understand difficult concepts. She was constantly open to questions, even ones about more abstract topics.

Unfortunately this was Ms. Anderson’s last year at Warren Township High school, and we are really going to miss her. I want to take the opportunity to share some of her favorite memories from Warren.

Over the years Ms. Anderson has taught a number of business classes, but business foundations and personal finance have been the overall favorites. One of the more interesting memories that she shared was that she once had an undercover police officer as a student for a number of weeks, roaming the halls and even joining lunch like everyone else.

I asked her what she thought about Warren as a school. She had lots to say, including how she loved the diversity and environment throughout the school, which brought many new perspectives to her classroom and beyond. She also mentioned that the addition of new business classes over the years have kept her constantly learning new things and evolving as a teacher.

Looking to the future, Ms. Anderson had a few ideas for new additions to the business department. The business management course would definitely be great for students at the almond campus, because it would better prepare them for life after college. On top of that, being able to earn consumer education credit for classes like personal finance would really be beneficial to students and help them with attaining real work financial skills.

Reflecting on the most rewarding aspects of her career, what is Ms. Anderson’s favorite thing about teaching?

For one, she really enjoys seeing former pupils succeed in life after high school, like hearing about former cross country athletes who have finished 5k’s or even marathons after high school. Another big memory for her is receiving emails from former students that have moved on to college, and taken similar accounting or finance classes. They all have one thing in common, all students reflect that those classes are much easier now because of the foundational knowledge they build in high school with the help Ms. Anderson. Even better than that, she also loves hearing about students having lightbulb moments outside of the classroom, realizing how business knowledge really does connect you to the rest of the world.

Now for my own personal reflection. I loved having Ms. Anderson as a teacher because of the way she was always available to help me with any questions I had and never hesitated to answer any wild hypothetical questions. The energy she brought to the classroom really gave that little boost I needed to finish my day, seeing as I had her class 8th period. Overall I am really grateful for all the knowledge and help you passed onto me in my time with her and I wish her all the best in retirement. On behalf of everyone in your class who learned how to balance a checkbook and manage a budget for the first time, thank you!