It is no secret that with this atrocious medical pandemic sweeping the nation, people are struggling with being out-of-work and quarantined at home. Teaching is perhaps one of the most affected fields at this time as instructors go from seeing their students nearly every day to not at all.

One of these individuals is head cheer coach and English teacher, Desiree Houg. No longer is Coach Houg holding practice or teaching lessons, rather she spends her days doing puzzles, planning out the upcoming cheer season and checking over her classes online assignments.

Coach Houg is a native to Arizona who attended Apache Junction High School before Mesa Community College and then eventually ASU.

“I have been involved in cheerleading since I was about four years old,” Coach Houg explains, “I was involved in many different teams throughout my years and in high school, I was actually the captain of the cheer team.”

She continued cheering in college for MCC before going off to ASU where she pursued a Bachelor’s degree in education and a Master’s in English. During this, she also directed her attention to coaching. 

Coach Houg says, “Being involved with cheerleading for so many years–it becomes a huge part of who you are. That is why when my time as an athlete was done I was eager to get into coaching. I actually applied where I went to high school and was sad to never hear back from them. A few months later the Perry job kind of fell into my lap as a coach at the time had quit in October.”

Coach Houg is getting ready to enter her tenth season for coaching at Perry and her sixth year of teaching. Along with her love for cheer, Houg had always been an avid reader and writer. She loves the creative aspect of English along with nurturing the writing process and critical thinking skills in her students.

“That is why I enjoy teaching Dual so much. I wanted to become an English teacher to share that love with students–who may not always love English class–but I know it will help them grow as people who will be soon transitioning into life after high school.” Coach Houg explains.

As Coach Houg is a Dual enrollment teacher, the transition for her classes to online schooling has been quite a bit easier. 

“Due to the fact we do so much of our work on the computer as it is, the transition is easier. I am holding my students to the college standards while trying to keep them engaged and motivated. I understand it is hard right now, so I wouldn’t say I am as “strict” as I would be in a normal setting, but the standards are still high,” Houg explains.

Coach Houg continues to stay positive and is excited for the upcoming school year, “I am eagerly planning next year so that when restrictions are lifted we can hit the ground running!”