Sahuaro patriot, Shakespeare enthusiast, and baking connoisseur — the beloved Mrs. Watters is deeply admired across the entire board, from the staff to the students.

Having been a Cougar for 13 years and counting, Cheryl Watters has secured her place as one of the most respected teachers at Sahuaro, being totally universally liked. As someone who thrives off of student-teacher interaction, she was utterly crushed when we weren’t permitted to go back campus for the 20-21 school year. “I miss interacting with students in person, having more of their involvement and feedback. I also miss my teacher and staff friends.”

Nonetheless, Mrs. Watters has pioneered a new course of teaching through online learning, with a goal to still connect with students and foster student learning in an alternative way. Teaching AP English language and sophomore English, she’s conflicted with her results regarding the first semester. “I think my achievement there has been hit-and-miss. I haven’t been able to cover as much as I normally do, so that’s frustrating. Adapting lessons to an online environment has been a learning experience for me (a challenging one at times!). Some of those lessons haven’t always gone well, but many of them have. Most of all, my goal with online teaching is for students to know that I’m there to help support them.”

Online school has obviously heavily impaired students’ will to learn, and it becomes harder and harder to find a constant source of motivation. However, learning never stops and can be done with even just a shred of interest in the subject. “I also hope that this experience of remote learning fosters a new value for learning itself… that learning is not just a school activity or something that only happens with a teacher in a classroom, but that learning can happen anytime someone seeks out new information or strives to master a new skill.”

Remaining optimistic with the new widely distributed vaccine, she hopes that we can return safely back to campus in the impending future. In the meantime, Mrs. Watters has found several new serotonin-inducing hobbies to occupy herself with. Her favorite hobbies include reading, swimming, and baking, and she’s surely getting a run for her money with her new KitchenAid mixer.

When describing her 2020 she said, “It’s as if 2020 was split into three parts: January and February which was just the normal routine of the typical school year, March – July which seemed like a very long summer (lots of time at home, swimming, reading, etc.) even though school was happening, and August – December with the craziness of remote teaching.” She also moved a ping-pong table into her living room, which has quickly been made part of the daily routine.

Mrs. Watters really adores food, savoring all her favorites like sushi, burritos, and ice cream. After eating, she’ll be curled up on the couch with her dog, Pringle, and cat, Cinder, either watching Seinfeld or reading a fantasy/sci-fi, her choice of literary genre.

When we go back to school, make sure to walk by room 204 and ask her to sing the Phineas and Ferb theme song, which she can execute flawlessly anytime, any place, with perfect pitch.