Teacher Tuesday – Meet Ms. McMahon!

Meet Ms. McMahon

Ms. McMahon is an 11-year veteran APS social studies teacher.  A true Swanson Admiral, Ms. McMahon has been teaching at Swanson for her entire career.   She grew up in Arlington and graduated from APS.

Ms. McMahon named several educators who have inspired her and who have made a difference in her career.  “I am lucky that I have had Renee Harber and Bridget Loft as both assistant principals early in my career and then principals later. They both are great examples of caring and strong leadership.  I also was lucky to be mentored by Cathy Hix a fabulous Social Studies teacher and supervisor who had engaging lessons and strategies.  I have worked on a team with Debbie Neuhaus-Palmer for all 11 years.  She has a great connection with students.”

When asked how Ms. McMahon became interested in education she replied, “I always loved learning and enjoyed visiting museums and historical places growing up.  I would play “school’ when I was a kid and loved things like American Girl Dolls that connected to history.”

The greatest joy of Ms. McMahon’s job is to see students make connections or come up with perspectives on their own.   The biggest challenge is that social studies has a lot of content, but a limited time to teach it.  “Social Studies is so important because it teaches students about the world around them.  It also teaches how to advocate for yourself and others to make a more just society for everyone.”

Ms. McMahon would give the following advice to those aspiring to be in a similar role.  “Be flexible and be positive.  The next day is always a new day and you can come up with new ideas to solve problems that arise.  Make sure to help others and ask for help when needed.”

Fun facts about Ms. McMahon, “I played trombone in the marching band in high school but have not played in a few years.  I am a Washington Nationals fan (even before they won the World Series).  I love Harry Potter and I always love when people tell me their Hogwarts House.”