Meet the New Teachers: Ms. Curtis

By Angie Choi and Olivia Kim

This year we have two wonderful new teachers. We would like to introduce our new P.E. teacher/ yoga instructor, Ms. Curtis, and we’ve been quite curious about her. So we did an ‘Ask me Anything’ – with her. Lately, we’ve been wondering when she wanted to become a P.E teacher. “I wanted to become a P.E. teacher when I was in college. But I decided to study about being a physical therapist instead. Later on, I gave up on physical therapy and eventually went on to teach yoga, be a personal trainer, and work in corporate wellness. After about ten years in those industries, I finally decided to become a P.E. teacher.

Another question we had was why she likes being a P.E teacher. Not every adult can handle 40 kids running amok, so we’re very grateful for what Ms. Curtis does. Anyway, here’s what she said: “I really enjoy seeing students learning a new skill or gain new knowledge about fitness that they did not have prior to my class. I like to see when students make progress in achieving the fitness goals they set for themselves.”

Ms. Curtis enjoyed many sports as a kid, and still does (hence why she’s a P.E teacher.) 

Ever since Ms. Curtis was little, she liked fitness and sports. She had lots of interest in basketball, volleyball, track, swimming, and tae-kwon-do.

Something else we were curious about was where she grew up, and if that place influenced her to become active in any way.

Ms. Curtis grew up in the Valley before moving to Northridge when she was nine. She said that she had good role models of her own P.E teachers in middle and high school who influenced her athletically. Additionally, she grew up in an active family and community.

Which schools did you consider being a P.E teacher for? Was Science Academy your first choice?

She first student-taught at Kennedy High School before going on to teach at New Los Angeles Charter and Madison Middle School before coming to the Science Academy. Additionally, Ms. Curtis was a yoga teacher for 10 years and also worked in corporate wellness before becoming a P.E teacher. 

We know there must be hard things about being a P.E teacher – Here’s what they are. “The hardest part about being a P.E. teacher is having to deal with environmental issues, such as the weather or sharing space with other P.E. classes. The other hard part is having a higher number of students in each class than other subjects.” 

We originally assumed that Ms. Curtis had found out about the Science Academy through a friend or family member, but the answer was actually quite simple –  “I found out about the Science Academy through the LAUSD job search engine.”

What high school and college did you go to?

I went to Cleveland High School in Reseda where I played basketball, volleyball, and took part in the track team. I went to CSUN (Go, Matadors!) for college, where I was a heptathlete on the track team for 4 years.

Was being a P.E. teacher your dream job?

“Yes, being a P.E. teacher is my dream job. I get to be outside and share my passion for movement. I am living the dream because I get to inspire students to lead healthy and active lives.”