CHANDLER, AZ — Now that the school year has ended, ABC15 is checking in with the teachers we heard from at the beginning of the year.
Tanner Phillips is an American Sign Language (ASL) teacher at Basha High School in the Chandler Unified School District.
Phillips graduated from Perry High School in 2019 and her parents both work in the same district.
"So good!" That's how Phillips describes how her first year in the classroom went. "The transition here was so great...the community they have built here has been so great and I feel so comfortable," she said.
But that doesn't mean her first year was problem-free.
"I think there was a lot of changes I had to make coming out of my student teaching," explains Phillips. "And not knowing exactly how those would run in class and doing it the first time on my own...the job is a lot of working on your feet and making changes constantly. You don't realize until you're in the profession - how many decisions you're making."
Thankfully, Phillips says she had a great support system at Basha and across CUSD - even at home.
It truly is a family affair for the Phillips clan! Dad Jayson is a principal at Casteel High School and mom Jena works at the CUSD District Office.
For Phillips, it's been comforting knowing she can bounce ideas off her parents.
"I did it yesterday!" explained Phillips. "And it's great. Growing up having my parents as teachers, I heard about it a lot. Now, I feel like I'm part of the conversation."
When ABC15 spoke to Phillips in July 2023, she mentioned teaching was the most rewarding profession - of course, we had to ask her if she still felt that way.
"Absolutely," she said. "It doesn't come without challenges. There have been hard days, but so many days when I go home in my car as I'm driving, I think I love my job!"
More good news to report: Phillips says she is returning to Basha to teach next year! Also, she says Basha will be getting a second ASL teacher to expand the program.
She's looking forward to being able to reach even more students.
