PCS welcomes a new middle and high school English teacher this year! Ms. Mary Berger now teaches 7th grade English and American Literature Honors to 11th graders. She’s had a lot of teaching experience prior to PCS and a wonderful backstory to share with the school community. Growing up in Cambria, California, Ms. Berger got her first job at the age of twelve.  She worked at a summer camp, where she helped to cook for the summer program. She worked by her best friend Maggie’s side, and they even got to live in a cabin together.  As a kid her favorite subject was English. “I loved reading,” she said, but she imagined herself living in a big city, in contrast to our little town of Santa Cruz. 

Neither of her parents had attended college, and it had never crossed her mind until her ninth-grade English teacher Ms. Bizzo encouraged her to consider college. Ms. Berger said, “I had this great English teacher who said that I would succeed and should go and she also inspired me to go into teaching.” She took that advice and followed in Ms. Bizzo’s footsteps, as Ms. Berger went to college and became an English teacher. College was where she met her husband to be; they fell in love in San Luis Obispo. He had jobs that led them to move around a lot. One of the places she lived was San Francisco–even though it was just one year, she finally got live her big city dreams.

As a teacher, she has taught grades 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 11th. When asked if there was a big difference between 6th and 11th graders, she responded, “I would say that 11th graders still like to have fun,” and noted that students are never too young to join a Blooket or Kahoot game! Ms. Berger is thankful for the amazing curriculum that Ms. E, the previous 7th-grade teacher, left behind. For Ms. Berger, the most meaningful things about teaching are the little notes of gratitude that students give her and the smile when a student learns something new.