Meet Ms. Cruce: Samo's new I-House Principal
Alani Kanan, Staff Writer
Samo math teacher Marae Cruce has been promoted to I-House Principal where she will now look at the school from a new perspective. After working as a math teacher for 13 years, she made the decision to leave her classroom to take on the new position of overseeing the mathematics department as I-House Principal on Nov. 16th, 2020.
“Now it's more of an overview position, not just in the classroom and in the confined walls of what I can control,” Cruce said.
In her free time, Cruce loves traveling up to the Santa Monica and Mammoth Mountains to explore. When she is there, she enjoys discovering new hiking trails and even mountain biking. In the winter, Cruce also enjoys skiing up in the mountains. One of her favorite places to travel locally is Zion National Park. During spring break, Cruce usually takes more adventurous trips and loves to learn more about other cultures and their history. Her travelling has allowed her to gain more appreciation for what she has and bring conversations into the classroom.
“Whether it was just a conversation that I had with a student or just appreciating sharing a picture of different places.. the completely nerdy, hey, look at this temple check out the geometry shapes in this,” Cruce said.
The decision to leave her job as a math teacher mid-year was extremely hard for Cruce. Her heartfelt attachment and dedication towards her students made the decision difficult. However, Cruce feels ready for a new upcoming challenge during distance learning.
Cruce's new position is severely affected by COVID-19 and the distance learning order. She now contacts all of her students through email and Zoom, which is an added hoop to jump through. Cruce also talked about how the lack of engagement for students responding to emails is challenging.
“You can't just go walk down the hall and poke your head and say hey how are you doing? Are you doing okay? Now it feels a little more formal,” Cruce said
Even though it was a struggle to leave her students and perform her job with the restrictions of distance learning, Cruce believes she is more than ready to take on the position of I-House Principal. She is excited to go out of her comfort zone and overcome the challenges that are to come in the future.
