Ding. The sound of the computer goes off as history and civics teacher Hillary Freeman joins her first period class over Google Meet. To begin her teaching career at PHS, Freeman’s first day took place from the comforts of her home as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Freeman’s journey to becoming a teacher began long before that August morning and took a different path than most. Attending the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) and majoring in political science meant that Freeman was always faced with the question: “Are you going to get into politics?”

“Yet, I never had the desire to get into politics, in terms of running for office, or working on campaigns,” Freeman said.

Instead, Freeman said that she was focused on getting to the root from which she believes she can have the greatest impact on future generations: education. At UCSB, Freeman took one class, The Policies and Politics of Education, which she believes was the kindling to her future career as a teacher.

“That class opened my eyes to the issues in the public school system and made me feel that politicians, all the time, cannot be the solutions to the issues that our public school system faces,” Freeman said. “[Furthermore], I developed the mindset that it’s teachers who are working at the ground level who can have the most immediate and direct impact on students and their lives.”

However, while still being interested in getting into education, Freeman did not feel ready to start her career yet. Instead of beginning the search for a teaching position, Freeman traveled as a consultant for her college sorority for a year after graduating from UCSB. After this, Freeman got a job at an advertising agency for three years.

“I loved my company,” Freeman said. “I had amazing co-workers, a job that I liked, and the opportunity to live in San Francisco with my friends. However, after three years I said, ‘I don’t think this is for me. This is not fulfilling me. This is just not what my calling is.’ So, I decided now was the time to make the transition into being a teacher because I’ve always been interested in it.”

Before settling into a traditional teaching position in the Bay Area, Freeman felt a desire to travel and see the world. But Freeman did not just go traveling and sightseeing; she gained her certificate to teach English as a foreign language and decided to begin her teaching career in a first grade classroom in Thailand.

“[Teaching] first grade there was very different from teaching high school, but it was a lot of fun,” Freeman said. “Our school had a pretty big English teachers program, but they did not want us to speak Thai to the kids because they wanted our classes to be in full English, to really immerse [the students] in the language. But with little kids who barely speak any English, it is very hard, but they are like little sponges and they pick it up quickly.”

Despite being unable to speak to her students in Thai, Freeman was motivated to learn the native Thai language.

“I took Thai lessons there because I [was] living there and when I [was] doing my day-to-day activities, and going out to restaurants, I want[ed] to be able to speak their language,” Freeman said. “It was a good experience, not only to learn the language, but also to understand where my students are coming from, like I’m in their shoes,” Freeman said.

After teaching English in Thailand for a year and traveling in Southeast Asia, Freeman came back to the Bay Area and began her credential program to become a teacher at Cal State East Bay. “[After gaining my teaching credential], I started looking for full-time teaching jobs, Freeman said. “I wanted to stay in the Bay Area because this is where I was born and raised.” Freeman said she found an opening at PHS for teaching civics, her favorite subject, as well as history.

“The stars aligned and I got the job,” Freeman said. “I was thrilled because it is a great district with a great student body and a lot of other really strong teachers who I can learn from.”

While this is only Freeman’s first year as a teacher at PHS, she has already accomplished her goal of making a positive impact on students’ lives.

“She does a really good job at making sure students are on track,” said junior Oliver Maxwell, a student in Freeman’s U.S. history class.