By Hayden Resch
French teacher Michelle McRay sits at her desk in front of all her photographs that each hold their own significant meaning
New French teacher works at Mill Valley and Monticello Trails Middle School
This is French teacher Michelle McRay's first year at Mill Valley, as well as her first year teaching
Mill Valley News: Could you describe something on your desk or in your office that is something of meaning?
French teacher Michelle McRay: I think that what has the most meaning to me is my little wall. Nobody can really read it because [it has] a bunch of complicated grammar, but it’s all really positive. I have all these posters where it says in order to understand everything and to ask questions, it’s normal to make errors. It says, ‘What is empathy? It’s not important like the color of your skin, your beliefs, or how strong you are. You deserve to be loved and respected.’ I’ve just generally been positive about things, that’s how I like to look at it.
MVN: What are some goals for you as a teacher?
MM: My biggest goal is definitely building strong student relationships, it is the most important thing to me. Aside from that, I want to see the kids be really strong with the language, and just get them to a point where everybody is able to comprehend things I’m saying.
MVN: What do you do in your free time like out of school?
MM: In my free time, if I get the chance to have a few days off, I’m probably out of town, traveling and going off somewhere. I do like to stick around and go to different events around Kansas City, like this weekend I went to a Chiefs game, last weekend I went to Top Golf. I just like to go out with friends and hang around kids and then do that in other cities, if I can.
MVN: What were your first impressions of the school?
MM: I got really good first impressions from Mill Valley. [During] my first time truly being here, of course, I came here like 40 different times to set up a classroom, but during my new teacher orientation I just got to know all the staff, and all the help and support around me, and everybody answered all my questions. I saw a lot of green flags, even though there were a lot of red flags to look out for. So it’s been good.
MVN: What was your linguist job with the government?
MM: I was a contractor for different government agencies, so I wasn’t technically employed by the government, it wasn’t like one agency but I worked for [Homeland Security Investigations], I dealt with criminal stuff and transcribed documents. It was kind of boring day to day. It sounds pretty cool but it was mostly just transcribing documents.
MVN: What else would you like us to know about you?
MM: I’m super super excited to be here. I’m the kind of person that learns as I go and tries to go with the flow of things. I feel really lucky to be here at Mill Valley, I really enjoy it so far. I just hope to grow here, learn more and get to know everybody.