STAFF SPOTLIGHT

Mr. C: Lending a Hand

By Mya Luke

Mr. Carpenter is an Instructional Assistant (IA) teacher at Greenspun Junior High School. Prior to Mr. Carpenter being our amazing IA teacher, he worked at a movie theater. He loved working at the movie theater because it was on weekends and holidays. However, his parents told him about the job at Greenspun and he took the job. 

As an IA he helps struggling students achieve more with their learning goals. He goes into a variety of classes to help students and teachers. When asked about what he likes about his job he said, “Every day brings a challenge to the table…What interests me the most is finding a way to get through it…Determination is the key to getting things done. Without that,

and/or having some glimmer of hope to get through it.” Moving to a teaching position from working at a movie theater was overwhelming. Regarding this move, he said, “At first when I started out I had a very “rocky” start. Things were complicated and brand new to me. Not gonna lie, to this day I’m still learning about a lot of things…Because it looks difficult doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Just gotta believe and have faith in yourself. Take a deep breath and let your mind relax. That’s all it takes.”

Mr. C said there is a ”constant struggle to convince kids to stay ahead of the game”, and many teachers can relate. But there are so many good parts of this job. Mr. C commented on this by saying, “Getting to know students, Kids these days are into anime, video games, Call of Duty, Marvel, and memes.” We are so thankful to have Mr. Carpenter work at Greenspun.