What 80 Years of Teaching Teaches Us
For more than two decades, Judy Baker, Kenneth Barnes, Suzanne Funston and Annaick Sturgeon have done what teachers everywhere hope to do: help students grow. Collectively, they have devoted more than 80 years to teaching UW courses for UW in the High School, through which students earn UW credit while learning in their own high school classrooms from qualified instructors. Yet the impact they remember most often extends beyond academics.
They’ve watched young people discover strengths they didn't know they had and helped provide them with pathways to higher education and access to opportunities once thought beyond reach. They’ve also grown as educators themselves, mentoring colleagues and helping shape learning experiences that reach far beyond a single course.
Helping Students See What's Possible
When Judy Baker began teaching UW English courses at Jackson High School in Mill Creek, dual-enrollment opportunities often felt limited to a small group of students. Many young people didn’t see college-level coursework as something meant for them.
Working alongside the UW, Baker helped broaden access and encouraged more students to discover what they could achieve.The impact reached beyond the classroom.
Students went home talking about college-level work and expectations. Families who had never envisioned higher education as part of their future began asking new questions and exploring new possibilities. What began as access to a course often became access to a different way of thinking.
“Freshman comp is one of the courses that is a barrier to a lot of students,” Baker says. “So, the fact that students who had never even considered going to college were saying, ‘How could I do in that course? I want to see what that's like,’ is incredible.”
Again and again, Baker has watched students discover that the boundaries they once accepted for themselves were often far more flexible than they realized. Across the state, Barnes, Funston and Sturgeon have witnessed versions of that same transformation.
Discovering the Power of Perseverance
In Kenneth Barnes' mathematics classroom at Chelan High School, where he teaches UW precalculus and calculus I and II, that transformation often begins with self-doubt. Students frequently arrive convinced they aren’t “math people." Barnes has made a career out of challenging that belief. “My job is to encourage and to give them hope,” he says. “To show them ways that their brain can understand it.”
Barnes teaches at a Title I school where many students come from low-income households, and a large share are multilingual learners.For many, college-level opportunities can feel out of reach, especially when the cost of earning college credit is a concern.Thankfully, in 2023, legislators unanimously passed a new state law that made College in the High School free for students in public high schools. Now, through UWHS, Barnes has watched students gain access to experiences that broaden their view of what lies ahead.
One of those students was Alejandro. When Alejandro enrolled in Barnes' UW precalculus class, he worried that limited English proficiency would stand in his way. Instead, Alejandro thrived. He continued into higher-level mathematics, earned admission to the University of Washington and became one of the university's top engineering students.
“That's a kid who probably didn't know his potential until he took a class like this,” says Barnes. “And now we have that state law; it's an opportunity for anybody who wants to try.”
For Barnes, experiences like that are one of the most rewarding parts of teaching. Long before students know where they will end up, they begin to see what they're capable of. “The precalculus class especially shows them how to persevere and meet goals,” Barnes says. “It really sets them up well for other classrooms and anything rigorous.”
Creating Lasting Impact
All four educators note some of the most meaningful moments arrive long after a semester ends. A letter arrives. An email appears. A former student shares news they never expected to hear.
Suzanne Funston has seen it firsthand during her years teaching UW Spanish courses at North Thurston High School in Lacey. One former student, Nellys, reached out while preparing to graduate from college after learning she was short of the credits required to earn her degree. Then she remembered a UWHS course she had completed years earlier. The credits transferred, allowing her to graduate on time instead of paying for an additional quarter of tuition.
The story stayed with Funston. Students don't always recognize the significance of a course in the moment. Sometimes its value becomes clear only years later.
Baker's experience took a different form. Years after graduation, a former student named Jimmy returned to find her. During their conversation, he shared that he had endured significant hardships, including a period of homelessness. Yet throughout those difficult years, he periodically searched online for Jackson High School. If he saw Baker's name still listed on the school's website, he told himself to keep going.
High school had been a turning point for Jimmy, and Baker was more than a teacher. At a formative moment in his life, she helped shape his sense of who he wanted to become. Knowing she remained at the school and continued the work she believed in reassured him that the values she had instilled still mattered and gave him the resolve to persevere through his own challenges.
Though the stories are different, they serve as a powerful reminder that a teacher's influence often extends far beyond grades or test scores. What students carry with them years later isn't always an academic lesson. Sometimes, it's a teacher's belief in their potential.
Growing as Educators and Mentors
The longer these educators have taught, the more they recognize their own growth alongside their students'. Teaching college-level coursework through UWHS requires continual learning, adaptation and collaboration. Through connections with UW faculty and fellow high school instructors, Baker, Barnes, Funston and Sturgeon have spent decades refining their craft.
For Annaick Sturgeon, who teaches UW French at Ballard High School in Seattle, the professional community has been one of the program's greatest gifts. “We get to meet in person at the annual UWHS gatherings and talk about our curriculum, get feedback and share ideas,” she says. “That's how we build our programs.”
Barnes has seen his own teaching evolve dramatically over the years. “In the early days, I had only one or two avenues to teach a certain concept and now I can come at it from multiple angles,” he says. “I think that's probably the biggest area where I've grown as a professional.”
As his experience grew, Barnes became a mentor to newer UWHS instructors, helping them navigate challenges he once faced himself. In that respect, all four educators have come full circle. Teaching has become not only a way to support students, but also an opportunity to strengthen their profession.
After decades with UWHS, Baker, Barnes, Funston and Sturgeon still pursue the mission that first inspired them to teach: helping students learn and grow. Yet their stories reveal a larger truth about education.
The best teachers do more than deliver lessons. They open doors, inspire persistence and leave an impact that can resurface years later in ways no syllabus could predict.