New teachers occasionally pop up on campus and while some may not be so new anymore, they still deserve a shout out. Ms. Salem has been recognized as a creative, funny, relaxed, and informative teacher, with lots of wisdom to share, stories to tell, and students to teach. Her subject; American Sign Language (ASL), a unique language used amongst Deaf people, and people hard of hearing.

Ms. Salem teaches ASL  and has been teaching the class at San Ramon for about a year now. She has a strong passion for the language and shares this passion with all her students.

Her interest in ASL dates back to her high school days.

When she was 17, a senior in high school, Salem took a class on ASL and enjoyed it tremendously. It was there that she began to notice she had a more intense interest in the language. The next year, Salem became an interpreter, with her first clients being two little deaf girls, Julia and Elizabeth.

Salem started teaching when a friend of hers informed her of a position at San Lorenzo. When Salem began teaching her class, she felt completely comfortable in front of the students. “I literally stood there like I had stood there all my life.” Salem explains.

In addition to teaching ASL, Salem also taught English 9 and 12, Health, and World History.

Ms. Salem grew up in Oxnard in Southern California, right between Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. She attended three different colleges; Ventura College, Fresno State, and California State in Northridge. Salem majored in Liberal Studies, and then went into Speech Therapy, and finally, Deaf Studies.

When asked if her dream was to be a teacher, the answer was “no”. When Salem was little, she dreamed of being a doctor. She wanted to help others get better and save lives. However, the dream was crushed when she found out that not all patients that come in, come out. The thought of that was emotionally challenging and the dream was then abandoned for a different future.

Salem recalls a particular memory while teaching at San Ramon; the time that she got very sick during class. Students remember the day that Salem had to leave class and be rushed to the hospital for internal complications. As the day dragged on, Salem’s students bit their nails and passed the word on to others about the accident, and worried for their beloved teacher. But all calmed down when Salem returned recovered and back in action.“I had students that made me posters and had students flood, literally flood me with love.” Salem explains. This love was deeply appreciated and for rest of the week, Salem’s room was plastered with large posters expressing the love, concern, and appreciation they have for their teacher.

While her dream of becoming a doctor was pushed aside long ago, her dream of becoming a mother never left. Salem says she always wanted to be a mother, and when she finally had her child, Dylan, she was elated, even though she had him a bit later than other women. Many of Salem’s students are fondly familiar with Dylan and always happy to enjoy the stories Salem occasionally tells about the charming little boy. Salem claims that motherhood has greatly changed her perspective on life.

“My patience for people has increased 10-fold, my acceptance increased 10-fold.”

Salem openly shows her acceptance and patience with her students and her room is a judgmental free place where Salem is open to everyone for help inside and outside of school.

“Parenthood is so hard! It’s the hardest job of my life! It changes you as a person, parenthood. And all you can do is try.”

In addition, the recent tragedy of the Philippines has everyone devastated, Salem included.

“If I had the time and space, I would go.” Salem says, wishing she could do more to help the unfortunate people. “I wish I could go, honestly, and help.” Salem, as a very caring people person, is especially passionate about the unthinkable events down in the Philippines, and like many others, wishes she could just go over there and give all the love, support, and hope that she can.

Salem has made a positive influence on her students, not only concerning their school life, but also life outside the classroom. Personal experiences and life lessons are presented everyday, and valuable advice is given throughout her lessons. Her subject of ASL also gives students a chance to express how they feel on certain topics concerning the language and culture and while teaching, Salem gives valuable points that help students realize that not everyone is perfect or as fortunate as you are, and that being kind, open and understanding can really make a difference in how others see and treat you. Salem is well loved amongst her students and many have returned to take her classes again, with some even thinking about pursuing careers working in the deaf communities.