The Learning Commons is far more than a quiet study corner — it is shaped by two staff members with a deep passion for reading — a place where every student can find something meaningful. As former librarian Amber Linehan joins the English department as a teacher, librarian Phoebe Kern transitions into her Learning Commons position.
While last year was Linehan’s first year at Portola High, she is no stranger to the world of education. She taught English classes at University High for 13 years before taking a break after having her third child. Linehan said that she felt ready for a challenge now that her youngest has become more independent, and she saw the librarian position as an exciting opportunity to ease back into working again.
“I loved being a part of Portola’s culture in the library,” Linehan said. “I wanted to make it an open, welcoming place for kids. Sometimes [students] would come in and ask for a certain book or ask for a recommendation, and that was the most exciting part of my day. And I realized, ‘Oh, I really miss the interaction with the students’ — it’s worth the long hours and the grading. I realized that what I value most about being at the high school is forming those relationships.”
Linehan currently teaches freshman English and AP Language and Composition classes. While they are different grade levels, Linehan said that her experience teaching seniors at University High and being a parent to a freshman in high school prepared her for the challenge.
“She’s my mentor in a way,” senior Diana Hedyati, who was a teacher aid for Linehan in the library last year, said. “She’s very easy to talk to, and she actually made me feel seen at school. She’ll put herself in your shoes, and she’ll try to understand you. Not a lot of teachers have gone in on that deeper level with me.”
Before taking up her Learning Commons position, librarian Phoebe Kern taught social studies, English, journalism and yearbook classes and coached soccer at Mission College Preparatory Catholic High for seven years.
Since MCP did not have a library, Kern transformed her classroom into a mini haven for readers, starting a small library of books to foster a love for reading and provide students with a quiet space to explore new stories. Kern’s love of books led her to switch from the teaching profession to becoming a full-time librarian and working at various public libraries for three years.
“[Libraries are] the most free, easy, accessible thing in the whole world,” Kern said. “I started just collecting books and getting books donated in my classroom and checking them out to students that way. I fell in love with it. It’s so fun to be able to just hand a student a book and say, ‘I’m not going to check and see if you read it. I’m not going to give you an essay on it. You’re not getting a grade. You just get to have it for a while.’ That’s really magic.”
Moving forward, Kern said she hopes to diversify the Learning Commons’ collection of books, especially by adding books from foreign authors to expand students’ perspectives. Linehan similarly hopes to support students’ growth and is looking forward to becoming closer with all of her students and celebrating important milestones with her seniors as they take the next steps in their lives.
“We really want everyone to be able to find a book that they think is worthy,” Kern said. “So every student, every staff member, every community member could come in and be like, ‘Oh, I see myself in this book. That relates to me.’”
