After resuming her education at CSUB and earning her master’s in 2019, Moss was hired later that year by the Kern High School District as a social studies teacher at Liberty High School. She was one of the first teachers at the school to offer dual enrollment classes, enabling students to receive college credit.
“I really am happy to offer dual enrollment. We can explore the different nuances that historical study has to offer, which I really love,” she said.
Moss said her experiences in Japan were very challenging, in part because she had to overcome her anxiety about teaching.
“I think it was really helpful for me to get comfortable with being uncomfortable,” she said. “I was always kind of a shy student, someone who always overanalyzed things and was really anxious. Being in charge of teaching English to a group of young Japanese students humbled me a lot and allowed me to kind of be okay with making mistakes.”
Moss said she has applied the lessons she learned from her time in Japan to the work she does now at Liberty High.
“I think that experience helped me become a more confident person in my knowledge and in my delivery of things and to also be more comfortable with not knowing everything,” she said.
In addition to her work at the high school, Moss has returned to CSUB this spring to teach INST 3900: Educator as Social Scientist, which is the capstone course for students in the Social Science Teacher Preparation Program.
“I jumped on it right away because I’ve always wanted to lecture or instruct at the college level. I feel really excited that I get to do that,” she said. “I think it will keep me on my own toes too and help me reflect on my own teaching with my high school students.”
Moss is happy to be able to be part of CSUB again, as she said she had a great experience pursuing her degrees at the university.
“I absolutely love CSUB. It holds such a special place in my heart,” she said. “I loved the atmosphere of the campus. Everything was so close and all the professors were wonderful and approachable. I think CSUB really helps people find something that they can relate to. There’s always a community there that you can feel a part of.”
Moss said her time at the university helped solidify her love for teaching and she hopes to be able to provide a similar experience for the students in her course.
“I would not be the teacher I am today or in this profession had it not been for those professors and that community,” she said. “I don’t want to be a teacher that just gets stagnant with their curriculum. I want to keep learning and keep discussing, becoming a better version of myself constantly, and CSUB has really instilled that in me.”