Ms. Tyack

📚 Course Info​ 

Hello! I'm Ms. Tyack (tie-yak).

I've taught English Language Arts classes at all grade levels for over ten years (two years subbing + nine years teaching – including middle school, where I got my first gray hairs at the ripe old age of twenty-six – along with grades nine, ten, eleven, & twelve). 

Currently, I teach only juniors and seniors (grades eleven and twelve).

You might see me around campus on weekends, too, helping kids make up their absences + missing assignments at Saturday School.

👋 ​About Me

In reference to the note above, I don’t use AI to generate my own personal writing, such as this bio – if I’m flagged, it’s because I’m just that good (and I hope to pass those writing skills along to my own students). Aside from that, I believe it’s important to “humanize” teachers, so thank you for taking the time to read this autobiography short blurb. 

I'm that teacher waiting for the perfect pause in the staff meeting to shake my salad container (or crinkling open a chip bag right after telling my own students to stay quiet during the quiz). I'm not a mom, but you can always count on me to have a snack in my bag (shoutout to The Office fans – iykyk) and a water bottle the size of a newborn infant. Most days you'll find me drinking decaf, eating or talking to plants, and reading food labels like my life depends on it (v, gf, sf, cf). It doesn't, but it'll be a rough day if I don't. 

When I'm not snacking, I spend most of my free time exploring the outdoors with Winston, my four-legged sidekick – aka the "white shadow," since he’s never far from me. After chasing down missing assignments, you can find me chasing sunsets, stars, waterfalls, or wildflowers with a book in one hand and Winston's leash in the other. I enjoy romanticizing life and have many "happy places" – hiking through misty forests, climbing tall mountain peaks, kayaking along the coast in sapphire waters, racing down snow-powdered hills, soaking up vibrant beach sunrises and sunsets, cuddling under cozy blankets for movie nights with friends, laughing and sharing stories with family around a crackling fire, swinging on a hammock while reading (or napping) under the warm sun, curling up by the fireplace on a rainy day, stargazing under a clear night sky, capturing moon phases through a telescope, or splashing in crisp streams where the water is so clear you can count the smooth stones below. 

Any excuse to be outside, and I'm there. 

Over the years, though, my classroom and home have become my "happy places," too. I've carefully crafted these two environments to become places of peace, reflection, and growth (the dim classroom lighting and soft lo-fi jams drifting through the class speakers set the "chill vibe," as described by many of my former students). I love those quiet moments when my students are all lost in the different worlds of their hand-selected library books, or the electric energy buzzing around the room as teams passionately debate with one another over the validity of an argument. I love the tranquility of my home, filled with all my favorites – creative projects, cozy reading nooks, soft blankets, furry friends, and hundreds of houseplants & books (yes, you read that right – hundreds… of each...). 

I believe in balance – teaching is my passion, but nature, good food, & spontaneous adventures are my reset buttons. Sure, there are those days when I'm the first one out the gate after that dismissal bell rings (we've all been there); but there are far more days when I lose myself in the flow of tutoring, or grading, or planning, or designing, or… 

often  stepping out of my warmly lit classroom only to be disoriented greeted by the night sky. 

Above all, I care deeply for my students. I encourage autonomy and push my students to stay curious, to ask questions, to never be satisfied with "good enough." I want them to leave my classroom knowing they are capable of meeting high expectations and doing hard things. I want them to understand that, while support from others is valuable, it is always a gift, never a guarantee – they are the ones responsible for shaping their own paths, setting their own boundaries, and caring for themselves first. I am passionate about creating meaningful, relevant, and high-quality content that helps students build their own futures that are not only filled with financial stability, but also joy, peace, and a deep sense of purpose. 

💖 Favorites

I don't really have "favorites." Not with music, food, books, shows, hobbies, movies, seasons, colors – and before you ask, not even my students. They’re all so wildly different, each with quirks I adore (I may occasionally question my career choices… but that’s part of the charm of teaching teenagers). As for everything else, much like the changing seasons, what I gravitate toward depends entirely on my mood. On any given day, I might be...

• blaring early 2000s emo/screamo or heavy metal with only a coffee in hand...

• grading papers or focusing on work projects, snacking on some almonds with lo-fi beats softly bumping through the speakers...

• dancing to EDM, pop, or even Disney tracks while eating my "driving fries" (which is just an extra order of In-N-Out fries so I still have another full plate in the bag when I get home)...

• meditating or doing my daily rituals alongside the Qveen's quick flows and empowering words...

• laughing along with Josh & Chuck and their hilariously informative SYSK episodes, or gripping the steering wheel in terror during true crime podcasts, breakfast untouched...

• vibrating with the bass of rap or hip hop while wolfing down an entire vegetarian breakfast burrito...

• shedding tears while listening to an audiobook that's left me traumatized for life, eating through my feelings one slice of gluten-free pizza at a time...

• belting out the lyrics to slow jams like I'm a contestant on American Idol, pretending my wooden spoon is a microphone in-between stirs in a fresh pot of veggie chili...

• re-reading a comfort book while sipping on an herbal tea with a touch of honey...

• refusing to sit still for a movie because it's "too long," only to binge fifteen episodes of a TV series for the character arcs and immersive world-building (while eating an entire bag of chips)...

• painting, writing, playing the piano or guitar, cooking, crocheting, building something (like a catio), swimming, gardening, designing, organizing, or some other new *creative project*...

The list goes on and on. I love a wide range of genres in all things and welcome new recommendations!