Julia McCullagh, 6th grade English Language Arts teacher, left many students heartbroken, by leaving McAuliffe International School because she got a job offer that she could not refuse on March 22, 2023. Ms. McCullagh was described as a place to go when you needed help, and many people relied on her and were devastated to hear she was leaving. I was one of those people. 

Not only did she make learning easy and fun, but Ms. McCullagh was like a home for many students. She comforted you and put your personal needs before your academic needs because she could understand and relate to you. She is already very much missed and many students struggle to deal with the change. By speaking to many students, I found out that most people miss Ms. McCullagh because they felt like she was an understanding teacher with open arms when they needed someone to talk to. 

Ms. McCullagh felt more like a friend than a teacher to me and many other students. 6th grader Claire Aschman described her as “Caring, fun, enthusiastic, and loving”, and said “She always believed in me. She always laughed at our jokes, even if they were bad. She treated everyone like more than students” while Mia McCubbin said she was “Funny, really kind, smart, and incredible. She was my favorite teacher because she taught us with passion and willingness”. 

All students who had Ms. McCullagh as a teacher had to be dispersed into different ELA classes. For example, I got put in Ms. Keeney’s class, and Holden Bangert got put in Mr. Schiffer’s class, but the students in her homeroom stayed in the same class but got Mr. Kempf as their teacher.

Overall, Ms. McCullagh will be dearly missed and many people are devastated to see her go. Many people relied on her and are worried about school life without her. We will miss you, Ms. McCullagh!