These three new English teachers show a glimpse into their teaching experience an open up about their feelings about Portola High’s community. Take a look at the English teachers, Melissa Miller, Christina Han and Alex Carino.
MELISSA MILLER
English teacher Melissa Miller is filled with ecstatic energy from her experience at Portola High.
“Everyone really made my experience so amazing,” Miller said. “All the supportive tools that we have to connect with students and genuinely get to know them are what make us such a really unique school and something that I feel truly blessed to be a part of.”
Miller earned her teaching credential in the fall of 2022. She was a substitute teacher for the Long Beach School District at Valley High and Huntington Beach High before she decided to search for a more permanent teaching job.
“I remember going out there and sometimes having two interviews a week,,” Miller said. “Just being like, ‘Wow, I’ve worked so hard’—it’s been my passion and my calling to be a teacher ever since I’ve been in seventh grade.”
When Miller heard back from Portola High, it changed her story. Miller teaches freshman language arts and junior English 3. Miller thanks her students and fellow colleagues for helping her get adjusted to a new environment.
“I would say Olivia Wallace, who gave me a hug at our first staff district meeting, just felt like home to me,” Miller said. “That really makes such a transformative experience, especially as a new teacher, and just feeling that I’m at a place where I feel like I belong.”
CHRISTINA HAN
Christina Han found her love for teaching English after struggling with the language growing up. Han’s dedication to the English language eventually inspired her to ingrain that passion in her students.
“English is the subject that helps me realize that no matter where we start off on our journey, if you put the passion and dedication into something and you love it, you can go so far ahead,” Han said. “I wanted to share that passion with other students.”
After attending the University of California, Irvine, she was matched with Portola High for student teaching. She said she fell in love with the school and applied the following year to become a full-time teacher for honors and college preparatory freshman and sophomore English.
“Portola, to me, is a place that affirms my love for teaching and helps me decide once and for all that teaching is a career that I want to take upon,” Han said. “And I don’t regret making this choice. I love every single moment.”
Han’s biggest teaching inspiration was her mentor, English teacher Vinny Rico, whom she taught under last school year. Her biggest takeaway was to find a distinctive identity and find her own voice in the classroom.
ALEX CARINO
English teacher Alex Carino started her career with the hopes of teaching students the skills needed for the real world. She obtained her bachelor’s degree at Cornell University, teaching new hires at a human resources firm, and attended the University of California, Irvine, for her master’s degree.
“I saw a lot of gaps in skills even from college, where people were supposed to have learned everything they needed to have a career,” Carino said. “There still felt like so much that we needed to teach our students to be prepared with intangible skills that aren’t like academics but just the things you need to be successful in life.”
Carino wants to teach students the knowledge they need to become a self advocate. As long as there can be a conversation, Carino said she would be understanding. She feels that every student has their own needs and paths, making each unique. Teaching honors English 3 and English 4, this skill is vital for the next few years of their lives.
“It’s hard as a teacher because your students want to do a variety of things, and they’re not going to necessarily follow the path that I took,” Carino said. “I think that there is value in every single person’s dreams and futures that they want to have. But I also think that no matter what you want to do, learning how to advocate for yourself is important.”
