Born and raised right here in Mendocino County, Mr. Casey Merritt, a long-time English enthusiast, joins the staff at Ukiah High School. After eleven years at Pomolita Middle School, Mr. Merritt jumped at the opportunity to return to the classroom as an English teacher at UHS.
“I decided I wanted to be an English teacher when I was a junior in high school,” Mr. Merritt explains. “I really liked my English classes.” As for why he teaches, he enjoys reading, talking about stories, and working with students. “Every student comes with a different perspective,” he says. “It’s fun seeing how everyone interacts with big ideas and concepts.”
Reflecting on the differences between teaching at Pomolita and Ukiah High, he notes, “I would say the biggest difference is student maturity.” Some things, however, remain the same. “My favorite part about teaching is that it’s fun. Every day is different—for better or worse—and it’s never boring. My least favorite part about teaching is testing.”
He’s especially excited about the regularity and stability of his new position. “I didn’t have a specific class or classroom before,” he says. “I wanted to return to the classroom, and the high school had an English opening.” In the end, the decision was easy—back to teaching full-time at the same high school he once called home. “Everyone has been super welcoming and friendly,” he adds. After a flying start, the worst thing he could say was, “The lunch line is long!”
Mr. Merritt has been teaching English for 12 years. Throughout that time, he says, “The book that has helped shape how I teach is The Reading Strategies Book by Jennifer Serravallo.” The book provides strategies and lessons to help teachers and students alike. If he could tell his younger self one thing, it would be, “Even on the hard days, it’s important to remember to have fun.” A valuable lesson for everyone—and a sentence that sums up his approach to teaching.
Freshman Country Peregrina says, “Mr. Merritt has a very fun and playful attitude while still keeping us on track and getting our work done. I wouldn’t say he’s very strict, but he definitely has his rules. If you’re messing around or not getting your work done, he’ll make sure you stay on task. There’s also a decent amount of freedom in his class.”
Freshman Nash Burgess adds, “He’s very organized with his work and how he assigns it. He’s interactive with his teaching—he doesn’t just talk for thirty minutes straight. He has questions in the middle.” Burgess described Merritt’s system of using “profs,” which are tools used to reward students who get work in on time or early and for being good students overall. Burgess also mentioned a current project in class exploring theme and figurative language, which he described as “very helpful and very fun.”
Mr. Merritt looks forward to his time back at Ukiah High. He jokes about his “best” teaching moment: “This one time, the class was extremely quiet. Everyone was focused and reading diligently. I asked a question about the theme of the text, and every student raised their hands. Just kidding—that’s never happened.”
Mr. Merritt has a unique ability to blend fun and humor into his lessons while still keeping students focused and engaged.
Salvio Senerchia was born in Santa Rosa and has lived in Mendocino County his whole life. He is a Freshman and in his first year of Journalism. He has a deep care for the world, its imperfections and inequalities. Salvio loves all things soccer, and is interested in law. He is an avid Liverpool F.C. fan and hopes to visit the city and attend a match! He loves learning, especially History, Math, and any and all reading and writing. He enjoys writing about current and past events and conflicts. Salvio loves traveling, exploring the world and learning about the places he visits.