Math teacher Katherine Bares has left Skyline in the middle of the school year to pursue a new job opportunity in the Utah State board of Education. Her sudden leave has left many of her students upset.
Bares primarily taught Secondary Math 1 and was loved by most of her students. One student, Seth Oliver, said, “Mrs. Bares was a really good teacher and an even better person. She always cared about how you did, and she would always care about your outcome.” A lot of her students were disappointed to see her leave and are wondering what the rest of the year will look like without her. Another example of a disappointed student is Freshman Max Hester, who said, “I’m very sad. I really liked her as a teacher.” Students loved Bares because of her steady teaching style, and how she didn’t leave anyone behind while teaching. According to Auzeen Tashnizi, “She was honestly amazing. I really liked how she taught. I feel like she genuinely went through everything at the perfect pace, […] and she made sure everyone knew what we were talking about so there wasn’t ever any confusion or any lack of clarity.”
According to students in her class, Bares was promoted to work at the Utah State Board of Education. One student said, “I don’t know the details about that, but I do know that she’s going to be helping [with] SAT stuff.” When asked about how students feel about how the class will be affected, another student added, “The class has gotten more fun, but the work ethic has shrunk, but we are working on it.” Many students feel that her absence will leave the class sad but excited for the new teacher.
A large question that has arisen after the departure of Bares is who will replace her. A new teacher named Justin Hadlock has filled Bares’ position. When asked about how the replacement is doing, Tashnizi said, “I haven’t really experienced him too much, but I still think it’s really soon to tell…I definitely miss Ms. Bares.” On the first test since Bares leaving, the majority of students didn’t pass. This could be attributed to students still trying to get used to a different teaching style. Hester expressed, “He’s okay. I don’t really know him well yet though.”
