Emily Hendersen, a long-term substitute at Roseville High School, has a not-so-usual hobby that has grabbed the attention of her new students and even the attention of some outside of her IM2 classroom. Skydiving has been a part of Hendersen’s life since the age of 18 and continues to play a major role in it to this day.

Taking over Brian Klein’s math class whilst Klein is out on a hip replacement, Hendersen has established a connection with students who inhabit room 303 to learn the new integrated math coursework.

However, when Hendersen isn’t in the classroom teaching students, she enjoys spending her engaging in an activity that many find dangerous by continuously participating in skydiving.

“Just like most people, for my eighteenth birthday I got a tandem and I went once and

had to go again, and then again, and again,” said Hendersen

According to Hendersen, she first gained an interest in skydiving due to her older sister’s prior experience. This interest eventually turned into a reality on her eighteenth birthday when she was able to live out her fantasy.

“Well, my sister  used to be a skydiver as well and she doesn’t anymore, but she’s the one that got me into it,” said Hendersen.

Through this experience, Hendersen has found a tight-knit community of skydivers that have become family throughout all the years of this adrenaline rushing hobby.

“It’s kind of a community of people who skydive, and so anytime I go out there it’s like seeing a second family, like a family reunion I suppose,” said Hendersen.

While plummeting towards earth, Hendersen finds the most memorable part to be the time of seclusion, which she describes as an escape from reality.

“There’s a minute when you’re free falling from the sky and you get away from everything,” said Hendersen.  “You get away from all of life and all you’re thinking about is that one minute and that’s why it’s so awesome.”

RHS sophomore Ari Gomez has been in Hendersen’s class for a month and a half.  During this time Hendersen has mentioned her skydiving adventures to her students.

According to Gomez, as soon as Hendersen stepped foot into the classroom she felt an automatic connection with her new teacher and was happily surprised to find out about Hendersen’s unique hobby outside of school.

“I was a little surprised, like I didn’t expect a skydiver to be a teacher but I guess we all have our own little quirks in the things that we like to do so I wasn’t exactly judgmental,” said Gomez.

According to Gomez, she’s  able to look up to Hendersen as a strong female figure and enjoys her new style of teaching.  Through this experience she has created a special bond with Hendersen and hopes to see more of her around campus.

“She’s been super supportive. Like I’ll make bad comments about myself or something and then she’ll be super supportive like ‘Oh no you’re super nice don’t say things like that it’s not true,’ she’s just a really caring person and I love her,” said Gomez.

RHS sophomore Kelli Hirsch is currently enrolled in Hendersen’s IM2 class and was also shocked to find out about Hendersen’s outside of school activities.

“Well I wouldn’t really expect it from her,” said Hirsch. “She doesn’t really seem like the type to go skydiving, and I think that that’s pretty cool.”

Hendersen grew up in the Roseville area and later graduated from California State University Monterey Bay, where she earned her Bachelor of science degree in mathematics.    

According to Hendersen, she appreciates seeing the growth of the new generations at RHS  and finds it interesting to see how students today compare to those of the past.

“I like seeing the new generation of kids growing up,” Hendersen said.

This isn’t Hendersen’s first time teaching long-term.  According to Hendersen, she took the position of an IM1 and IM2 teacher at Adelante last year where she got the firsthand experience that helped launch her into the world of schooling and into the world of  teaching. Through this, she was able to experience her passion for teaching and and set her previous schooling into that of the past.

Through Hendersen’s previous experiences in the classroom she has discovered a love for teaching and a sense of self-pride when helping others who are in need of it. According to Hendersen, her favorite part of teaching is when she can see the spark that students get when beginning to understand the material.

“I like when I see kids begin to understand the material, or whenever somebody comes in for help and I can help them raise their grade I enjoy passing on knowledge I suppose,” Hendersen said.