Mr. Skelton was a long-term substitute for economics and will start teaching math reasoning next semester.

Register Forum: How long have you been teaching?

George Skelton: I’ve been teaching since around January of last year.

RF: Did you teach anywhere else before teaching at CRLS?

GS: Nope, it’s my first time teaching. I graduated from CRLS in 2009 and now I’m teaching here.

RF: What did you do before teaching at CRLS?

GS: Before teaching at CRLS I was an accountant, so I was working in accounting for five years. I have a masters in accounting and finance, so that’s my background.

RF: Why did you want to be a teacher?

GS: I wanted to be a teacher because I wanted to give back to my community. I work with kids and high school students all the time in the summer [through] basketball and football, [and] I also coach Pop Warner, so I just felt familiar with kids and I felt it’s better to work with kids because, you know, it’s more fulfilling than just crunching numbers all day.

RF: Have you only taught economics?

GS: Last year I was teaching personal finance and I was an extended-term substitute for personal finance, and now I’m an extended-term substitute for economics, and next semester, or in a few weeks, I will be teaching math reasoning. My ultimate goal is to become a math teacher.

RF: What made you interested in teaching economics?

GS: I just think economics is an interesting topic, and with my business background, I thought it would be a good fit for me. And I can help the students with the knowledge I have and my experience.

RF: Is there anything unique about CRLS that you have noticed while teaching here?

GS: Unique, yes. Most of the students here are more friendly than before, a lot more friendly than I would think, so I feel like it’s a great community here at CRLS.

RF: How is the community today at CRLS different from when you were a student?

GS: I graduated almost ten years from now, so it’s different. There’s a lot more technology, there are technological advances, and, like I said, students are just friendlier. When I was in high school, everyone wasn’t always that friendly, so people would get bullied sometimes, but now I feel like everyone’s more aware of themselves and of other people’s feelings, so it makes a better community.

This piece also appears in our November 2018 print edition.