Teacher Spotlight – Mr. Sheridan

7th grade history teacher, Mr. Sheridan, is an outstanding, interactive, and loved teacher here at Rio. Mr. Sheridan has been teaching at Rio Norte since 2009. Mr. Sheridan is well known for his fun lectures, and the Cornell style notes that go along with it. He was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley in California. As a kid, Mr. Sheridan played lots of sports, liked to read, and loved spending time with his friends on his bike or skateboard. He also tells his classes that he was and still is obsessed with the Titanic.

Even though he loves his job here at Rio Norte very much, Mr. Sheridan originally didn’t even want to be a teacher. He tells us about his childhood inspirations – who were mostly actors, writers, and directors. Mr. Sheridan loved “Singin’ in the Rain” with Gene Kelly. However, his mother was an English teacher for 40 years and he explains how she was his real inspiration to become a teacher. He states, “I worked in other careers until I realized as an adult that I wanted to teach – and it was the best decision I’ve ever made.” He loves this age group because he says that they are “funny, smart, insightful, and willing to learn new things – that makes them WAY better than adults”.

This incredible history teacher not surprisingly gets asked this same question a lot: If you could go back in time, what era/year would you go to? He tells us that he actually can’t choose one specific time period. However, he says that he would never go to one era. This is anywhere during the 1300’s. He explains, “It was brutal, disease-ridden, and stinky….so nothing I want to experience.”

His life outside of school is very fun filled and sounds really cool! He grew up the younger brother or 2 and his older brother is now a retired Sergeant from the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department. He and his wife have been married for 25 years and she is currently the Saugus district’s TOSA for ELA. His wife used to be an elementary school teacher as well, teaching at Northpark and Mountainview Elementary.

Mr. Sheridan has two kids – a girl and a boy. His older one is finishing her degree at San Jose State and his younger son is a junior at Valencia High School. He tells us how he and his wife are big fans of Women’s Soccer. They are hoping to follow them in 2023 for the World Cup, taking place in Australia and New Zealand. He says, “I spend my time reading, gaming, going to sporting events, binge watching movies and TV shows, and trying to find cool places in California to eat.”

Back to school activities, Mr. Sheridan also runs the 8th grade East Coast Adventure. This is where 8th grade students can go to cities like Washington D.C., Philadelphia or Boston, and New York. It sounds really fun and a great opportunity to see really cool history. He says, “We hit a bunch of historical sites, museums, battlefields etc. We also go to sporting events, a Broadway show, and other fun things as well.” You can go with your classmates and friends to experience awesome things. Mr. Sheridan exclaims, “It’s a great trip and a great experience…I love it.” Furthermore, he is also in charge of the DFY in SCV presentations and activities at Rio.

If you have any questions or want to talk to Mr. Sheridan, you can email him at [email protected] or talk to him in P-2!