Ms. Woodson: A Creative Influence

Maria Woodson’s pronouns are she-they. They were the first person I thought of when wanting to write about a member of the staff here at Morro Bay High School, not only because she's new to the school this year but because at first glance they look and act different than the teachers we see every day.

Their style is very different than other teachers. They actually have a sense of style. Her style is an androgynous spin on a teacher’s versions of dark academia or street wear. It may be because she is younger than most teachers but most kids here have a similar style. 

Throughout her education, she started evolving to become a great poet. Poetry quickly became a way that they could express themselves. After high school she went to college where she started her teaching career. She started teaching a college writing class and then ended up teaching a creative writing class for 10-12th grade.  She would use her own poetry and poetry that her friends wrote to teach the class. She says, “that opened my eyes a lot to the diverse effect poetry could have on so many different people.” After they got their teaching credentials they started teaching at a middle school and eventually made their way here. 

When asked about where her passion of teaching and poetry came from she says “I found my passion for writing in 10th grade,” when her 10th grade teacher taught her creative writing like poetry and it became an outlet for her. Ms. Woodson says, “It sucks that I didn't find a teacher that opened so many doors for me until the 10th grade… that's what I hope to be for y’all.”  She’s taught me and many others how it's possible to write their own poetry with no prior experience.

She has become a great poet thanks to the education and people she had along her journey. Ms. Woodson, even only having her as a teacher for so little time has become one of my favorite and best teachers.