Teachers travel between Steger, high school

Steger sixth grade actors, a part of the Drama Exploratory course, take a break from rehearsal to socialize. The first period course is taught by Sarah Romanowski and senior Trinity Madison. Photo by Trinity Madison

Teaching opportunities grow in the Webster Groves School District with the option of being able to teach at more than one school in the district.

One teacher who has taken advantage of this is art teacher Andrew Throm.

Throm has taught at the high school for 21 years, and this year he began his first year teaching at Steger.

“The subjects I am teaching this year are Drawing and Painting, Sixth Grade Art, Concepts of Art, Digital Art and Ceramics. Basically my daily schedule this year is to start at the high school and then go to Steger. Then I come back to the high school for the rest of the day,” Throm said.

So far, Throm considers teaching at both schools beneficial because it allows him to connect with more students in the community.

“Working with older students is fun because they have developed their talent and are working on sophisticated assignments. Working with the sixth grade has been refreshing as they are just beginning to grasp certain ideas about art and they have a different vision of what art is,” Throm said.

Another teacher with a similar experience is Sarah Romanowski, drama teacher.

“I go to Steger first thing in the morning and then come back to the high school for the rest of the day,” Romanowski said.

While she considers it a good experience, she has faced struggles.

“The biggest challenge so far is time. I have been asking other teachers who have done this for years their tips and tricks, and there really isn’t a good way to manipulate the time element. It is definitely a challenge and causes a lot of anxiety and stress from my end,” Romanowski said.

“Luckily, I have a little time between Steger and the high school, so I can travel, but most days I lose time to prep for classes, so I am usually pretty pressed for time,” Romanowski said.

Romanowski has been able to look past the challenges and find enjoyment in her day.

“I like the very end of every class because I see how my students come to class tired and leave energized and mostly excited,” Romanowski said.

“My favorite part of the day is when I see a student struggling a little bit with an assignment, and then the light bulb goes on, and they discover that they are capable of doing something new or that they haven’t tried before. That is the best part of teaching for me,” Throm said.