West is happy to welcome the newest member of the faculty staff, Ms. Patel! Prior to coming to West, Ms. Patel has taught at numerous schools, including Back of the Yards College Prep School, Pilson high school, and Glenside Middle School. Ms. Patel initially started teaching at high schools in the city of Chicago, but later began teaching at Glenside for six years, making this year being her 11the year of teaching! Ms. Patel then “grew a strong connection to the students of Glenside” which made her transition to West easier since she gets to see her past students from Glenside again.
During college at UIC, Ms. Patel was a Biochemistry major but realized she wanted to be a teacher through a very unique experience. She was involved with an organization known as Peer Health Exchange. Peer Health Exchange is what led to her initial exposure to the classroom setting. When Ms. Patel was part of this volunteering program, it was then that she decided to become a teacher. ”[She] got to engage with students and got to see that lightbulb moment in their head when they finally understood something. That was the moment [she] knew for sure that this is the setting [she] want[ed] to be in.” Ms Patel wants to see that “aha moment when they finally understand something.” Ms. Patel discovered she wanted to specialize in history since “[She] always loved learning about [her] own history as well since [her] parents are from India” Ms. Patel believes that understanding history helps her understand more about herself and the world around her and she hopes to teach this idea to her students.
Ms. Patel decided to come to West since “West has a great reputation and sense of tradition”. Seeing her old students who went to Glenside before also made her transition easier since she saw many familiar faces. She also loved seeing them Improve in high school if they were “squirrelly in middle school and finally found a place they like in school” Ms. Patel teaches many classes at West including US Government and Politics, Sophomore Contemporary World History, and Junior and Senior Sociology.
Throughout this transformation between schools, Ms. Patel has shown us that change can result in growth and with each step, you can strengthen your confidence and continue to achieve your goals. Ms. Patel was not afraid to embrace change. She continued to pursue her dream of teaching and kept on going so she can be a part of her students’ learning journey.