Calling an audible: Teacher, flag coach pivots from math to Special Ed
Manteca High special education teacher Priscilla Riddick shares a laugh with her students. (Hanna Palacio/The Tower)
By RAIYAN MASUDI
The Tower
When Manteca High teacher Priscilla Riddick walks into her classroom, she brings joy to the students in her care.
Riddick is a Special Ed teacher at Manteca High School. She is pleasant and connects well with her students through her generosity and patience, warm heart, and understanding. Riddick does a lot for the school’s Special Ed students, helping them navigate high school and set up their lives following promotion.
When she began her teaching career, she wanted to teach math but discovered her impact would be greatest elsewhere after getting assigned a Special Ed class.
Manteca High special education teacher Priscilla Riddick goes over the day's classwork on the monitor at the front of her classroom. (Hanna Palacio/The Tower)
“I would rather teach Special Ed than general education only because I’m able to make a deeper connection,” Riddick said in an interview with The Tower.
Riddick’s impact has grown this fall. She is the head coach of the school’s inaugural girls’ flag football program, giving her a chance to mentor nearly 40 female student-athletes.
The Tower caught up with Riddick to chat about her teaching career.
THE TOWER: Why did you decide to become a teacher?
PRISCILLA RIDDICK: I started teaching (Special Ed) by complete accident because I wanted to teach math. My whole life I have wanted to become a teacher. I got thrown into English-general education, and special ed and got thrown in by accident. I will never go back.
TT: Why did you choose to teach? What made you fall in love with it?
PR: I fell in love with it from the moment I started as an aid, and I was able to learn the job and see how it works. Then they moved me from aid and asked me to become a teacher. Ever since then, I have been able to build huge relationships to make it more fun.
TT: What do you want to accomplish before you retire?
PR: I will move into the admin arena, such as a vice principal or a principal. I’m not sure where I will end up, but I want to make an impact on all these kids and students with the mental health side, as opposed to just focusing on academics. We forget the human part of students.