Heather Pearson, a Spanish teacher at Arvada West High School, “likes to have balance.” Despite this, she shares that “when I first started teaching I didn’t have that.” 

She overcame this issue through hard-work, which led to her managing her class more efficiently as she gained experience (Pearson has worked 19 years in teaching, 18 and a half at Arvada West). A key part of this was learning how to take time for herself, as Pearson explains, “I come here and I work very hard, but I also like to be able to leave here and enjoy my time away and not be working at home all the time.” 

Although Pearson loves her job, she recognizes the difficulties associated with the profession. Specifically, she shares how “the most difficult part of it is dealing with behavior issues and not getting support from parents or from administrators at the school.” 

However, she often focuses on the positive aspect of education, adding “the most rewarding part of teaching is watching my students learn and understand what I’m actually trying to teach them” as well as “having relationships with my students.”

Whenever Pearson walks into her classroom, she focuses on making sure students “feel safe in my room and they feel safe with me and the learning process.”

Pearson also recognizes how her students have benefited her, sharing, “They have taught me a lot about all walks of life, and to never judge somebody by how they look or behave.” She further explains that being a teacher has “made me more understanding of what people go through in life and being more compassionate.”

Reflecting back on the past, Pearson shares how she became interested in teaching, explaining, “I was interested in a lot of different things. I once wanted to be a veterinarian, then I wanted to work in forensics, and then I started getting into Spanish in college and I really started loving it.” This led to her wanting to pass this love of the language onto others with the hope that they would enjoy it as much as she did.

Pearson also talks about one of her closest friends: English teacher, Abarro Benedict. “We always take our picture together on the first day of school every year, and we’ve been very good friends for a long time,” she shares.

But what makes this relationship so special? Abarro shares, “It’s a caring friendship. We want the best for one another.” He adds that when describing Pearson, the first things that come to mind are “resilient, confident, honest, and trustworthy,” to say a few. He also likes to point out that “when we get together, we laugh!”

In terms of her personal life, Pearson enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She especially loves to travel to Spanish speaking countries, where she has the opportunity to “practice Spanish and learn more about the culture” while being with her loved ones. She also boats, walks her dogs, and does yoga, among other activities.

Another challenge Pearson has grappled with recently is of the physical variety; specifically, a knee replacement she got over the summer. “It hasn’t been easy. I’ve never had anything like this done before, so it’s been kind of shocking” Pearson explains. She adds, “At home, it’s been my husband who has to help me out a lot, but at school “it’s hard getting through the day being on my feet all day, maintaining my good mood because I’m in pain.”

She hopes to feel better soon, but admits the surgery, “takes a long time to heal” elaborating, “They (medical professionals) say the worst part of it is over after the first 6 weeks, but you really don’t feel better for about 6 months to a year after it, you’re not back to yourself.”

Turning the focus away from herself and to students, as she has done all throughout her career, Pearson provides advice for students at A-West. “Freshman, I would say school is important, but you’re learning to have a good work ethic that will last you the rest of your life, and the learning is more important than the grade.” 

Additionally, Pearson hopes to convince students that “It’s okay to make mistakes” while adding that it’s important to “be very careful who you choose to be your friends” and to surround yourself with people who are “a good influence on you.”

Pivoting to seniors, Pearson explains the importance of “working hard when you’re young,” explaining that “if you work really hard when you’re young and you achieve your goals, your whole adulthood will be so much easier.” She also stresses that, “Life is hard in general, but it’s easier when you just do the hard work up front.”

In the end, Pearson’s attitude reflects the mission she has strived to achieve since beginning her career at A-West: “I just want to serve my community. Period.”