While Gabrielle Kashani knows that every year she will be teaching economics classes full time, most teachers are living in suspense until the release of the master schedule at the end of every school year.

“The counselors’ priority is always to make sure that the maximum number of students get to take the classes that they need,” English teacher Elise Marks said. “Students are always the priority over teachers.”

This means that teachers have little influence over their schedules every coming year.

“It really depends on how many people sign up for each class,” science teacher John Savage said. “Then the teachers of each department get together and try and determine who will be teaching what.”

Savage is teaching anatomy for the first time this year, simply because it made the most sense with everyone’s schedules.

“I had never taken anatomy before so I had to take an anatomy class over the summer,” Savage said. “I hopefully will be teaching it next year so I can use what I’ve learned this year.”

Other limiting factors include what the teachers are licensed to teach. Savage can teach biology and chemistry courses, but not physics, and only teachers with industry experience are allowed to teach ROP courses. That means that students who take ROP Biotechnology can be certain that their teacher will be Tom Huffaker, and those taking ROP AP Environmental Science know their teacher will be Andy Willats.

“It’s this giant puzzle and it amazes me how they work it out so well every year,” Marks said.

Every teacher in the English department is able to teach every class, so there is often a lot of change from year to year.

“I love to teach AP English,” Marks said. “But when I was the yearbook advisor, if the two classes met at the same time, I’d have to choose.”

This may be unhelpful news to those students hoping to get a certain teacher when they sign up for a class, as there is little certainty of who will be teaching it.

“I want to take an advanced class but if a teacher who I don’t want is teaching it, then I won’t take the class,” freshman Ko Narter said.

Changing up one’s subjects every year can make things more interesting, though there is a certain amount of loss and confusion that comes with it.

“It’s like working in a kitchen where you get to try out new recipes all the time, and then never make them again,” Savage said.