Here are my notes from the Interview with Ruth Backlund:

Taught for 39 years started around 1971-1972 in the Midwest, then Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart, French, English, and Art. My husband was getting a degree in psychiatry in Madison, Wisconsin.

I went and got a degree in science with a specialty in the study of algae. I wanted to be on the ocean and my husband had traveled to Crescent Lake and went to interviews. He got a job. Our kids were really little.

I wanted to get back into teaching when Brianna was 4

1981—I got into substitute teaching for French

Started teaching physical response and then counting and alphabet like with little kids

When the teacher got back, he called and offered his job. He decided to retire.

I had to expand it. They were anxious to start communicating. Mine was the first AP class taught in AHS. The kids wanted to travel. Started French travel club. 13 trips total, going every other year. The kids even signed a contract to only speak French. Fundraisers and working towards the trip were positive components. It was one of those “ah-ha” the torch has passed kind of moments. Gutsy for those kids to do that trip!

Over the years, taught Algebra, English, History, and Art.

In 2014, I retired after the first semester

They dropped French after I left. Now they only have Spanish.

You have to make it fun. Kids at that age don’t know that they want to do something for the future, so it has to be fun.

What’s your favorite part about being a teacher?

The kids. Especially high school kids. So alive and so funny. Always up for fun things. They need to decide what things they like other than the subject matter. They have to find out what they really like to do and what about it do they like. Do they want to work with kids, be outside, etc.? What parts of jobs do you like? …So you can make sure that is an element of what you look for

What is your least favorite thing about being a teacher?

How effective do you think the current educational system is in preparing people for life after high school?

We’ve started shifting away from just knowing facts to being able to find what you need. Learning to learn. We went to a foreign language conference where the keynote speaker talked about how fast things are changing. This is the millennia of communication. When she retired the kid’s most precious possessions were their phones. Things are so much faster with your phone. Engineering researchers from UW came up with a strange cup that you put water in it and heat the water, and it creates an electric current that charges your phone.

What should high schools be teaching students but aren’t currently doing so?

They should be teaching multiple types of intelligence. Verbal linguistics, math logical, which are both pushed in high school. Interpersonal and intrapersonal and people who are more kinesthetic. To be able to teach to all those types of intelligence in a subject matter so you can hit everyone at a level they can understand, and then give options on how to show ability in testing. I did a variety of types of projects to incorporate this philosophy—Writing in a journal, writing a play and performing, doing speeches, and others.

What do you wish you could teach high school students that you currently aren’t able to teach them under the current system?

For foreign language are better to have short classes that last over a longer period of time. Some classes need long periods, like science and some English project classes. Alternating three long classes every other day.

What do you wish you could tell all graduating seniors about life after high school?

Look at yourself and what brings you fulfillment because you are going to be spending a lot of your time doing something, so make sure that all the things around it match up with who you are. If where you live gives you a lot of pleasure, then that should be an important thing, not just the dollar sign. The dollars alone don’t bring fulfillment. We discussed some of this on the senior advisory board. Psychology has always been the backdoor science in terms of prestige, but it is important. The senior project became a presentation about life post high school. They either had to do a job shadow in one of those fields, or a project that dealt with a particular career they wanted to look at. One student went to investigate architecture and decided she didn’t like the artsy side, but the engineering side. Ended up getting early acceptance in engineering school. This has happened in the last twelve years. The counseling program would know more about it.

What are high school kids and their parents doing right when it comes to preparing themselves for life after high school?

The parents in Anacortes are involved and have a good relationship with the district. It used to be that the middle and the high school didn’t communicate and they have opened that up a lot. The main thing we need to think about is educating every student. Public education is very important. Not just isolated schools. Some of the private schools are great, but we need to remember the public school majority, not just the gifted. I am worried about education getting splintered and everyone going to private schools and the poor not getting a good education.

What mistakes do you see students making in high school when it comes to thinking about their future and taking action? What are they doing wrong?

Getting in with the wrong crowd because of a need for acceptance. Putting their head in the ground and just wanting to have fun instead of thinking about the future. Also seeing their value. Many of these things come from pre-school. It comes from the home. My parents were great and would ask my opinion what I wanted to do and listened. A lot comes from listening.