Lauren Hannani culture editor
Not everyone can say that they love their job, but health teacher Heather Godin can confidently say she does and has since she started teaching at the school 15 years ago.
As an undergrad student at UCLA, Godin first set out to become an English teacher, but when she saw a health textbook in one of her classmates’ hands, she realized that she was more interested and passionate about teaching students about the importance of health than she was about literature.
“I started reading through the textbook, and I was like, ‘Wow, this is so interesting. I want to teach this,’” Godin said.
As a result, Godin started attending Cal State LA to earn her teaching credential and take a number of different health courses, which reminded her of how much she loved the subject.
“Taking the classes was a lot of fun, and I do feel like they justified that passion I felt for health,” Godin said. “It was a great experience.”
One of the reasons why Godin became passionate about teaching health to high schoolers is the relevance the material has to the students’ everyday lives.
“It’s such an important subject, and it helps students now and for the rest of their lives. I don’t think there’s anything more important than health,” she said. “It affects you for the rest of your life–there’s no other subject like that.”
Godin’s favorite part of being a teacher is working with students and witnessing their curiosity of the subject and their realization of the significance of being healthy.
“It’s great to be able to see students start realizing just how serious some conditions can be, like drugs, alcohol and other addictions can be,” she said.  “I feel rewarded every day by the students in my class. They’re so hard-working, and they all want to learn.”
Freshman Eva Levin, who had Godin as a summer school teacher last year, enjoyed the way Godin interacted with her students and taught the subject in an enthusiastic manner.
“I really liked her teaching style, how it’s more relaxed, and how instead of just seeing her as a teacher, you can see her as a friend,” Levin said. “She was just a really great teacher, and you could always tell she was passionate about what she was teaching.”
Godin plans to continue teaching health “as long as it exists at this school.”
“I love what I do. People always say, ‘Love what you do to be happy’, and I truly feel like I am doing that,” Godin said. “There’s nothing better than being happy with what you do.”