Ms. Sarah Walker has been a 9th-grade English teacher at CRLS for the past three years. While her students know and love her, we feel that Ms. Walker is, unfortunately, underrated. Freshmen that end up walking into room 3624 may be intimidated by her co-teacher Mr. Cohen’s stingy grading and open-toed shoes (seriously, who wears sandals in January?), but Ms. Walker’s bubbly and enthusiastic energy can light up any windowless classroom—even in one with a class average of C-. Her teaching style is the perfect balance between authoritative and friendly, making all of her classes the opposite of boring. The following interview has been edited for clarity and concision.
Register Forum: What classes do you teach?
Ms. Walker (Ms. W): I teach 9th grade English, and the year-long English 11 to AP Language.
RF: How did you get to this point in your career?
Ms. W: I taught for four years in Chicago public schools, got my master’s degree, and moved here. Now I get to shine brightly on the East Coast.
RF: What is your favorite part about teaching at CRLS?
Ms. W: That’s hard. I feel like I like teaching because I like getting to learn new things every day, particularly being in a part of the country where I wasn’t raised. I feel like I am learning from others as much as they hopefully learn from me in class.
RF: How has your experience been with the Level Up program, and teaching alongside a history teacher for the whole year?
Ms. W: I got so lucky to be with Mr. Cohen every day. It’s incredible. Our senses of humor get to match, our teaching styles get to play off of one another. I get to see students grow in multiple subject areas. Things that they don’t pick up from me, I get to pick up from somebody else. They get to build better relationships, and when you get to see them every day, it’s so cool.
RF: What do you like to do in your free time?
Ms. W: I run. I read. I like to be outside. And I grade a LOT of essays.
RF: What are your goals for your students?
Ms. W: My goal for students is that they become better at reading and writing, to whatever standards they need for outside of school. I also want them to grow their confidence in their ability to do it themselves, and to wean off of needing me or needing another teacher. I want them to be proud of who they are in their own process. Because, at the end of the day, I really don’t care if they remember my name when they leave this classroom at the end of the year. But I do care that they know who they are and they know how they can use skills to make themselves better people in our society.
If you have ever had the privilege of being Ms. Walker’s student, be sure to wave to her in the halls and visit her every once in a while. For those who do not personally know Ms. Walker, we hope that this gives you a small glimpse of the friendliness and positivity she carries with her.
This article also appears in our June 2025 print edition.
