Mrs. Chernow is Sahauro’s newest English teacher. After going through multiple substitutes from August to November, the English department finally got our permanent solution.
Mrs. Chernow was born in Texas, moved to Maryland, then Virginia, and finally Arizona. She always considered Arizona home though. “I love being here, when I was a kid my grandma lived here and I spent every summer here, it’s nice to be home,” she shared. Before she started teaching, she ran a used bookstore for 5 years called Around the Block Books with her mother (who was also a teacher).
She’s been teaching for 4 years now, starting in Virginia. She currently teaches English 11 and Mexican-American English. Back in Virginia, she taught English 9 and Journalism. She stated that she, “…built the journalism class from the ground up. I had amazing kids and great stories; it gave them a whole new way of thinking and helped them develop a figure-it-out skill set. It’s what you need in the real world.” 
In Virginia, she taught at the only high school in the district, very different from TUSD. What remained the same was, “The mentality here is the same as Virginia. It’s about helping the students and having staff and admin that care.” So far, Mrs. Chernow loves, “…it here, the students are fabulous, and my co-workers are phenomenal.”
Her Mexican-American English class consists of 11th and 12th graders. Mrs. Chernow thinks the class, “Presents a wonderful way of showcasing everyone has a voice, it celebrates culture and unique experiences.” Both her regular and Mexican-American English classes are in a social justice unit. They are looking at court cases and how prejudice affects people’s everyday lives; currently, they are watching the movie 12 Angry Men.
Speaking of movies, some of Mrs. Chernow’s favorite movies are Labyrinth, Auntie Mame, and Love, Actually. It’s tradition for her and her husband to watch Love, Actually every year. Her favorite movie genres are action and comedy; her favorite book genre is mystery, and her favorite books are East of Eden, The Book Thief, and Hamlet (though she likes anything by Shakespeare).
I strongly suggest everyone give our newest English teacher the warmest welcome down in room 208!
