Dimond resigns over pandemic concerns

Dimond+resigns+over+pandemic+concerns

Max Aronson

World History and AP Human Geography teacher Amy Dimond has left the school to teach world history year-round for Florida Virtual School. Warren Silverman, a 2012 West Shore graduate, has taken over her classes.

“The situation that I was in was twofold,” Dimond said. “One, is because of the heightened quarantine that’s been happening, and my elderly mother lives with me, and then two is just the virtual opportunity.”

Dimond said she enjoyed teaching remote learners last year.

“It’s totally different having them in front of you than having them online at home,” she said. “They have different difficulties, and so addressing those different difficulties and kind of trying to find strategies, so it was kind of challenging for me, and I enjoyed that challenge and the different approach that I have to make to them.”

Freshman Max Carl, who was a student in Dimond’s world history class, said he will miss her teaching style.

“I’ll probably miss how easy-going she was,” Carl said. “She made history fun and easy, and she was one of the only teachers who I really learned a lot from.”

Junior Cannon Heste said he appreciated Dimond’s world history class.

“What I’ll miss about her most is how easy-to-talk-to she is,” Hester said. “I’ve only had her for a few weeks, but she’s made her class very enjoyable.”

Carl said he’s not particularly concerned about the potential quality of whoever Dimond’s permanent replacement will be.

“I just hope the next teacher will be as good as her and as easy-going,” Carl said. “If the replacement is as close to as good as Ms. Dimond, then I have no complaints.”

Dimond said she is prepared to move to her new job with FLVS.

“[I’m anticipating] A lot of learning,” Dimond said. “It is going to be a new journey, it’s going to be a fresh journey, and I do have a lot to learn, so I am going to be facing challenges, challenges that I can’t even identify right now, that I couldn’t even pinpoint right now.”

Dimond said she will miss the personal connections she made on campus.

[I’m going to miss] my homeroom, that’s definitely what I’m going to miss,” she said. “And the friendliness and the sense of family among the staff, that’s what I definitely will miss.”