New Family and Consumer Sciences teacher Ms. Markell Reid was a registered dietician at children’s hospitals. Now, she’s pivoted to teaching high schoolers how to appreciate the foods from other cultures.

While she worked in the hospital, Reid provided nutrition therapy to kids and also taught children with health issues how to take care of themselves.

“If there was a kid who got diagnosed with diabetes, I would do a training or an education on how they can count carbs so that they could properly administer their insulin,” Reid said.

Like many new teachers, Reid is adjusting to the change from another professional environment to a high school.

“First of all, the age. I’m teaching a lot of older students,” Reid said. “We were pretty basic with types of food groups when I was working with preschool and elementary kids.”

While Reid was preparing to teach, she spent time in classrooms, shadowing other teachers to understand what it is like to teach in a classroom of kids.

“When I was in a preschool and elementary school, we would go in and we would learn about all the different food groups. We would learn about cultures and make that food,” she said.

From helping students learn the culture of different foods around the world to guiding students while in their kitchens, she has found that she enjoys working with high school students and teaching them material they can use beyond school.

“My favorite part about teaching at Strath Haven is making great relationships with students, trying new recipes, and observing them learning how to do new things for the first time,” Reid said.

The student energy has also impacted Reid in positive ways.

“I like that the kids are always enthusiastic and energized, and how they look forward to being here,” she said.

Even though she has not been here long, Reid is already looking for ways to better the school and her curriculum.

“I would love to see more nutrition curriculum throughout the entire school… specifically diet,” Reid said.

She is excited to watch her students progress in their understanding of food.

“As this year goes on, I look forward to my students improving their cooking skills and abilities. I also look forward to them starting to gain an understanding of nutrition education, so anything related to your diet,” she said.