South High math and statistics teacher Randall Childs wants his students to express and stand up for themselves as the youth of today’s day and age.
“Don’t be afraid to recognize your good idea over someone who is older and more experienced,” he said.
A former South High student, Childs said he thinks highly of the school and its community.
“I loved it here when I was a student,” he said. After spending some time teaching in Los Angeles, he decided to make his way back to South. “I wanted to come back to South if I could. This is basically my dream job.”
Childs said one challenge he overcame involved his misunderstandings regarding student decisions.
Childs said he would “assume they chose to do something bad when in reality it was just a misunderstanding; their perspective and mine wouldn’t meet, and I couldn’t understand why they were doing the things they were doing.” He added that looking back at his progress as a teacher, he now prefers having one-on-one connections and conversations with students.
Childs explained that his mother, an OPS teacher for many years, played a factor in his career choice.
“A big influence was also my mother; she taught here at OPS for many years. I knew the ins and outs of education as the son of a teacher,” he said. “I realized I didn’t want a job in a big company; I wanted something that would be more of a public service.”
So why math?
“I liked math, so I eventually figured out I should just become a math teacher.”
While Childs is passionate about math, he said he’s also passionate about the ideas younger people have and likes to encourage students to express themselves. “Just because someone’s older doesn’t mean they know more than you do about some things. Trust your ideas always.”
An animal Childs feels he resonates heavily with is a simple house cat because, he said, cats are introverted animals who prefer their space, enjoy socializing with others and just do their own thing most the time. “I feel like that represents my personality,” he said.
Green is the color Childs thinks represents him best as it also symbolizes some of the things he stands for and appreciates such as the environment, trees and the earth itself.
“Those things are important,” he said. “They give us life, so the color makes me think of nature and the world we live in and depend on.”
