Strolling through lush green pastures with gray stone walls, passing medieval architecture and castles and enjoying long conversations at a pub are just a few experiences one might have in Northern England. The scenic landscape and English culture provide a place that stimulates Ms. Brittany Cairns’ creativity.

Having studied abroad in Northern England, Ms. Cairns continues to foster creativity within her classroom as an English 2 and 2H teacher at Cathedral Catholic High School.

“Growing up in San Diego, you definitely take what is around you for granted because it is all that you are used to,” Ms. Cairns said as she reflected on her experience back in England. “You are used to driving on the freeway and by the ocean. You take [the ocean] for granted; and when you go to a place like England that has a Harry Potter-like landscape, you are kind of inspired all over again by nature. You come back and you realize the the uniqueness of where you are from. [That experience] definitely inspired my creativity.”

Ms. Cairns enjoyed the different attitude in England. She acknowledges many Americans have a ‘rat race’ attitude, trying to quickly rush through life and get things done. Her experience in England opened her eyes to taking time and enjoying life, and taking in the beauty of her surroundings.

“I want to be a teacher that opens my students’ eyes to the new possibilities school can provide for them,” Ms. Cairns said with a smile.

Ms. Cairns wants to encourage her students to enjoy school. She steers away from traditional teaching styles such as taking tests and reading novels accompanied with essays. Adding variety to the traditional form of education, Ms. Cairns uses hands-on, project-based learning to foster her students’ creativity while teaching the required material.  

“I like how she shows genuine interest in our opinions,” Jorge Martin ‘18 said. “It’s more enabling than having only one right answer.”

In Ms. Cairns’ English class, students are able to express their different views through class discussions and projects. She provides an environment open to students’ varying opinions.  

Mrs. Allison Collins, English 2H teacher and Ms. Cairns’ colleague, described a project Ms. Cairns developed for the English classes. Ms. Cairns came up with a newspaper project where students connected real life events to ideas they saw in the Greek play Oedipus Rex by Sophocles.

“She is so enthusiastic about the material and teaching,” Mrs. Collins said. “It is her positivity that is infectious. It gets passed down to both her students and other teachers.”

Before becoming an English teacher, Ms. Cairns worked in the business world, which she believes lacks the creative outlets that teaching offers.     

“It was extremely shocking to me to find that there are so many people who did not have strong writing skills, and people who were responsible for giving speeches or running meetings who did not have strong communication skills,” Ms. Cairns said. “[That is when] I wanted to teach English specifically because [communication] is such an important skill to have.”

Ms. Cairns worked at as a contract manager and human resource manager for her father’s construction company for seven years. She did not enjoy the the business world, so she decided to become a teacher. She began her teaching career as a long-term substitute teacher at Mission Bay High School and Sage Creek High School before coming to CCHS.

Ms. Amanda Aaron, a new English teacher at CCHS, worked with Ms. Cairns at Mission Bay High School. “It is really fun working with Ms. Cairns. She finds a way to make things light and interesting and she brings a modern touch to everything,” Ms. Aaron said.

Ms. Cairns attended several schools before she began her teaching career. She received her Bachelors of Writing at California State University San Marcos and recieved her Masters in American Literature at Leeds, a university in the United Kingdom. Finally, she received her Masters of Education and credential at the University of San Diego.

In high school, Ms. Cairns attended private school in San Diego where the strong connections with her teachers and the individual attention she received inspired her to develop a similar type of community for her students.  

“I went to Our Lady of Peace,” she said with a chuckle, aware of the rivalry between the two Catholic schools. “But I pledged myself to be a Don from here on out.”

As a Don, Ms. Cairns adds more creative outlets to CCHS in hopes of fostering strong relationships with both students and teachers. Ms. Cairns carries her experience in England with her as she innovates education in her English classes to provide her students with open-minded instruction.