Cathedral’s new Digital Imaging and Foundations Art teacher, Mrs. Karla Scarff, looks back fondly on her own high school days. She made some of her favorite memories during those four years, partially due to a couple of wonderful teachers who demonstrated care and respect for Mrs. Scarff and helped her to grow into the person she is today.

She credits her high school English teacher, Mrs. Benedict, for inspiring her to enter the teaching profession. “When I think about being a good teacher, I always think about her,” she said. More than anything, Mrs. Scarff understands the life-changing impact teachers can have on their students. She expresses her teaching philosophy in her belief that, “everybody who is born into this world has a talent and an ability, something that God gave them to do.”

She recognizes that, as a teacher, it is her job to help her students discover these special talents so that they may put them to work in the world. Mrs. Scarff has turned her talent into her passion, as she said, “I really can’t imagine doing anything else; I love being a teacher. This is what I’m meant to do, and when I wake up in the morning, I’m very happy to go to work.”

Everyday, Mrs. Scarff looks forward to laughing with her students, and she appreciates their enthusiasm. “I’m no longer seventeen, but when I see the world through my students’ eyes, it keeps me young,” said Mrs. Scarff.

Her dedication to bringing out the best in her students is clear, and her efforts do not go unappreciated. Sophomore Olivia Laqua expressed enthusiasm about Mrs. Scarff’s art class, describing Mrs. Scarff as “a vibrant teacher who encourages her students to be creative within their art.”

Mrs. Scarff has been teaching for fourteen years, previously in the Poway Unified School District. She was attracted to Cathedral because of the time the school makes for prayer everyday. She is also eager to incorporate the iPad technology into her classes. She is from Arizona and taught at Arizona State University before moving to San Diego two years ago. She also studied photography in college, and now she works as a professional photographer as well. Her specialty is portrait and wedding photography.

In her free time, Mrs. Scarff likes to explore darker, more dramatic themes as opposed to the traditional brightness of wedding photography. She has developed familiarity and expertise in many facets of art and hopes her students will learn do the same.

“What I really like seeing in my students in art is growth,” she said. Mrs. Scarff loves to compare beginning and end-of-the-year art projects to serve as not only evidence of their growth, but also evidence of her teaching philosophy.