New faces constantly pop up throughout the halls and fill up empty seats in classes throughout the year. However, it is more rare to see a completely new face at the front of your class or in the department offices. Among the few new faces in the school is Sidney Wollmuth, a first-year English department teacher in room 230, teaching Honors English 9 and 10.
Growing up just on the other side of the Potomac in Loudoun County, Wollmuth always enjoyed her English classes throughout high school and took inspiration from her teachers to become one. “I saw the teachers at my high school and thought it would be an amazing way to spend a day: teach kids what you’re interested in and having some laughs,” Wollmuth said. “English is a subject you either love or hate but you always want to be the person that helps a student consider picking up a book.”
After high school, Wollmuth went to study at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and did an accelerated Bachelor’s degree to a Master’s degree in five years, while studying both English and Creative Writing. After college, Wollmuth started teaching at a community college this past fall and enjoyed it, which led to her decision to keep it as a full-time job. “My favorite part about being a teacher is learning from the students. I’m a big advocate that everyone should be a learner in the classroom. It could be little things too,” Wollmuth said.
Being a first-year teacher at the school, Wollmuth has tried to make her classroom environment as welcoming and warm as possible. She is a big supporter of getting to know her students in different ways and making sure that their voices are heard inside the classroom. “She’s really nice, especially as a first-year teacher,” freshman Claire Spivak said. “She asks us what we want before we do it. If we’re reading, she will play an audio because that’s what we wanted and it’s really good.”
Wollmuth has been impressed by the level of students at the school and how high achieving many of them are, being constantly told how polite and hard-working the students are. And as for the other teachers in the English department, they have nothing less to say about her. “She’s very hard working and contributes good ideas as well. It’s hard to come in mid-year to teach,” English teacher Emily Davis said. “She’s very easy to work with and has a nice rapport with her students.”
When she’s not in the classroom, Wollmuth enjoys activities spanning from a nap, to writing poetry and fiction, to going on runs. As she looks toward the future, she is excited to help out with the school musicals as well as the marketing team and yearbook class. “I’m just looking forward to getting involved with the rest of the community,” Wollmuth said.
