This is the August edition of a series that connects with Mr Matt Shin, Principal of Redwood High School.
Mr. Shin, Redwood High School’s principal, makes decisions every day that impact how Redwood students learn and their school life. He has faced many challenges lately, most of them due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
From a shortage of teachers to outbreaks, Shin is always making sure Redwood is as safe and welcoming as possible.
He takes pride in his school and isn’t afraid to express that, “When I tell parents and community leaders that Redwood is a safe school, I mean it.”
He has many challenges, but he also has many solutions. Here’s some insight on what it’s like behind the principal’s desk in August 2021.
Shin says, “One of my biggest challenges this year is to get freshmen to understand what high school is about. The last time they were really in school was their 7th grade year. The last time they had a full, uninterrupted year was 6th grade.”
The freshmen class this year is the class of 2025. They essentially skipped middle school, and went straight into high school due to the pandemic.
The transition from middle school to high school is already overwhelming in a normal year. As Shin says, “[The freshmen] missed the whole middle school experience. I spent 13 years in middle school administration, middle school is a big part of getting ready for high school.”
COVID-19 has had a big impact on students’ daily lives and that extends to school as well.
Many parents also have been worried about COVID-19, and Shin is trying to “curb the fears some parents might have.”
He says, “The whole safety thing has been a challenge. I think it was worse last year when we were getting ready to come back. Any time when you’re dealing with an outbreak whether it be the flu, or in this case Coronavirus, I’ve even dealt with swine flu, it’s hard to assure people that it’s going to be totally safe here.”
Hiring has also been a difficulty Shin has been dealing with. There’s a shortage of substitute teachers, and current teachers have been covering each other during their prep periods when they don’t have a class to teach.
“There are staff members who are moving to higher positions. I’m in the process of hiring teachers, but it’s not as easy as people think,” Shin explains.
There is a long hiring process. After reviewing applications, interviews are set up. However, it doesn’t stop there. Shin says, “It’s not ‘I interview you today, you start tomorrow,’ they have to go through a clearance process.”
Any hiring somebody does must go through the school board, they have to approve any hires.
“I still have five positions that need to get filled, I’ve hired for three of them, but we’re waiting for clearance on them,” Shin says.
According to Shin, people are asking about positions at Redwood, but the hiring process needs to be approved by the board. The teachers moving on are staying until their replacements are officially hired.
Shin has also been working on getting athletics and extracurriculars up and running again while staying safe. He wants students to be able to perform and compete in their activities.
“We have to follow a lot of guidelines, there are a lot of things that they have to do to be able to do these kinds of things, that’s been stressful,” says Shin.
He continues, “There’s a lot of different plans we have to put in place for these kinds of events to happen. Plus waiting for the ever-changing guidelines, our district has different guidelines that seem to change weekly, if not daily.”
As Shin plays the field dealing with these problems, he has to keep a lot in mind, “Making sure I’m following the rules, following the guidelines, these are the rules and expectations the district has set for us so that we are doing things the right way.”
Shin wants students to get involved at Redwood. He says, “Don’t just show up here at 8 o’clock and leave at 3:30, get involved in something. Even if it’s via Zoom or something, be involved.”
Dealing with and solving all of these problems is very stressful, but Mr. Shin is glad to do it for his school. Shin jokingly says, “When I started this job I had black hair, now I have grey hairs.”
Ayla Ozturk
Ayla Ozturk, class of 2024, is a fourth-year journalism student passionate about leading the News section. She is dedicated to informing students and amplifying their voices through Government and Politics writing.
You can reach her at ayla.oz3769@vusd.us.
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