Recently, Fred Cheng, an English teacher at Edina High School, had to leave the classroom to take on an atypical task.

“I am at the District Office working as a TOSA (Teacher On Special Assignment). I will be working with the Departments of Teaching and Learning and Research and Evaluation on implementing the District’s Next Generation Initiatives, which were behind things like the survey the high schoolers took in homeroom at the beginning of February,” said Mr. Cheng.

At the beginning of the year, the Director of Research and Evaluation took another position in a different district, which opened and created an opening. The position is intended to be temporary, “if things go as planned, I would return next fall,” said Mr. Cheng.

Mr. Cheng’s position will be taken by a long term sub, Mr. Amborn. “He is terrific and has even taught English at EHS before,” said Mr. Cheng. Last year Mr. Amborn was Mr. Buckley’s student teacher.

The most difficult part of his decision to become a temporary TOSA was to accept it and leave his students in the middle of the school year. “I am confident that they are in good hands with Mr. Amborn, but I will miss them. I hope they believed me when I told them to contact me for help on anything,” said Mr. Cheng.