Sarah Lynn Hudson
Sarah Lynn H. is a dedicated high school English teacher in Fremont, California, where she teaches grades 9 and 10 in a diverse Bay Area school with students from a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives. Her classroom is structured and intentional: students begin each day by recording their agenda, cell phones are put away to maintain focus, and weekly lessons are carefully organized to provide consistency and engagement. Mondays preview the week, Tuesdays focus on vocabulary, Wednesdays and Thursdays feature hands-on project block days, and Fridays are reserved for academic summaries or article discussions. She dedicates time to silent reading on Wednesdays to strengthen literacy skills, and most assignments are completed in class to accommodate students’ varied responsibilities outside of school, while also addressing academic integrity in the age of AI.
Teaching runs in Sarah Lynn’s family—her great-grandmother was a music teacher, her grandmother is an elementary school teacher, and her aunt and uncle are also educators. However, her inspiration came from her sophomore-year high school English teacher, the first Black teacher she ever had, who became like a second mother and ignited her love of English. That experience, combined with her family legacy, solidified her desire to become an English teacher and provide meaningful representation and mentorship for her students.
Before becoming a full-time educator, Sarah Lynn spent eight years as a swim instructor, lifeguard, and high school swim coach, also certifying others as lifeguards. She attended three community colleges simultaneously to accelerate her education, later transferring to San José State University to earn a BA in English with Preparation for Teaching. She then completed a combined teaching credential and master’s program, earning her MAT in December 2023 and her teaching credential in July 2024. She has been a full-time English teacher since August 2024, having previously served as a substitute teacher since 2021. Her dedication to structured, student-centered instruction and her commitment to literacy, equity, and mentorship define her professional journey.
• Teaching Credential
• Lifeguarding (Including Deep Water) with CPR/AED for Professional Rescuers and First Aid
• Lifeguard instructor
• San José State University - BA, English
• San José State University - MAT, English/Language Arts Teacher Education
• Humanities Honors Program
• San Jose State University
• Honors Society
What do you attribute your success to?
Educational background, including 8 years as a swim instructor and lifeguard, experience as a high school coach, and studies at community college and San Jose State University. They explained how the pandemic caused a gap year delay in their education timeline, and described completing a combined credential and masters program, finally becoming a full-time English teacher in August 2024 after substitute teaching since 2021.
expressed interest in starting a Black Student Union at their school where they work among three Black employees. The interviewee also shared their interest in human trafficking as a cause, particularly helping students research this topic for mandatory high school projects
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say really look at the grade levels you're interested in teaching, because there's a difference between learning to read and reading to learn. Elementary school is about teaching foundations like counting and reading. Middle school is a transitional period where students are becoming adults. Think about your patience level. Do you have more patience with babies, because that's essentially what elementary kids are, they're going to cry and be gross? Or do you have more patience with secondary education students who are slowly becoming the adults they will be? And think about patience with parents too, because sometimes they can be a little bit intense. Look at the subject area you're going into. Are you passionate about that subject? Because it's pretty bad when you have a teacher that is not passionate about what they're teaching. Students can really sense when you don't like the subject. Don't just teach math because it's high in demand or because you want a backup plan if teaching doesn't work out. Check your patience level. How are you with people? Can you be civil with other people? And truly care about the subject you're teaching. People don't really see the value of teachers anymore, but children see their teacher the entire day. Elementary students see that teacher for the majority of their day. Secondary students see their teachers five hours a week. That's going to have a big impact on a child's development. Are you prepared to be an impact on a child's development? Teachers have a huge impact on people's lives, whether large or small. I have 170 students every year. They see you five days a week. You're going to leave an impression, and if you don't like the subject and you're seeing a student like that, you're going to leave a negative impression on that subject.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Integrity, empathy, and a commitment to student growth are the values I prioritize in both my professional and personal life. In my teaching, I strive to create a classroom environment where students feel supported and not judged solely on completed assignments, and I take pride in developing tools—such as a Google Docs feature with fillable boxes for MLA formatting—that help them succeed. Mentorship has played a key role in shaping my professional journey, particularly guidance from Monica Lugo in San Jose, who helped me discover my teaching style during student teaching. I believe in paying that forward by encouraging young educators to thoughtfully consider the grade levels and student populations they are most passionate about, so they can make a meaningful impact in their careers.