If you’ve taken a higher level of Spanish, you may be familiar with a woman full of stories and advice. At WCHS, students can always hear the harsh truth about life and funny jokes from Spanish teacher Stacye Steele-Yue. WCHS students have learned a lot from Steele, and after 28 years of teaching, Steele has announced her retirement.
Steele teaches Spanish Five, AP Spanish Language and Culture and Spanish Seven. She has worked at WCHS for the last 16 years of her career, previously working in Memphis, Tenn. Along with her vast experience, Steele has lived all over the globe, living in Peru, Spain, Mexico and various parts of the U.S. This vast experience of different cultures has allowed Steele to understand all her students and compare and contrast the schools where she has worked.
“I was teaching in Memphis for 12 years before [coming to WCHS],” Steele said. “The main difference between teaching at Germantown High School in Tennessee and WCHS is the variety of students at different learning levels; on level, honors and AP.”
Steele’s extensive career as an educator has come with the ability to evolve. Steele has seen many changes in education, from the use of blackboards to the adoption of blending technology with learning.
“The hardest thing about being a teacher is patience,” Steele said. “The changes with technology are changing faster than they used to be. When you’re older, you have to adapt and learn new things to keep up.”
A core part of being a teacher is interacting with the students. At WCHS, students work with their teachers daily to achieve their goals. Teachers are a support system for students during tough times and are a constant source of encouragement.
“Going through things with students, I was teaching when 9/11 happened,” Steele said. “It showed how students are more resilient going through tough times and learning from them.”
Education all over the country has changed over the last four years. Teachers have had to relearn how to cope with a new normal. Although COVID-19 had its downsides, it allowed Steele and the WCHS community to come together as a united front.
“Going through COVID with the students was difficult,” Steele said. “For graduation, [the WCHS staff] standing outside six feet apart and holding signs for [the graduates] as they drove past us was an interesting graduation experience.”
Additionally, Steele has had a lasting impact on many of her students. WCHS junior Alexa Rockwood previously took Spanish Five and is currently taking AP Spanish.
“Ms. Steele has had an impact on how I look into the world,” Rockwood said. “She’s always telling us great life advice such as always being adaptable and looking out for ourselves. She was a strong force in the WCHS community and will be missed.”
