WHY I BECAME A TEACHER
“My oldest brother is a teacher (….) He also taught math. So that's kind of where the inspiration came from. I have also been teaching math. Originally I actually went to [university] to be a doctor and teaching was always my backup. Then I got to shadow what a Med student does and I was like, ‘This is not me!’, so time to go to Plan B. I was minoring in education (….) So that's kind of what brought me into Education and that teaching journey.”
“I've always wanted to help people. My mom was a social worker, so I embodied her gift of trying to help those that need it. Combined with my brother, who likes teaching, I always had that knack to help others. So teaching was definitely in my future.”
JOURNEY AS A TEACHER
“After student teaching, I actually went back home (…) for a year, so I got my first full year teaching that wasn't student teaching [in my home city]. Then I actually went to [another city] because my little brother was there studying. My brothers and I are first generation, so it made sense to check up on him. My mom is very elderly, so she couldn't check up on him.”
“I spent five years in [that] school district and it was pretty tough (….) Those were my foundational years of teaching. I actually quit my first year in [that district] and had thought of leaving teaching. I had a very nightmarish year. Fights every day in the school. I had a chair thrown at me. I had a concussion. At twenty-three at the time I was like, ‘Maybe this is not it’, so I actually took half a year off. Then I got into remote teaching—and this was way before Covid, this was 2017 or 2016. I got into remote teaching and it brought back the joy of (…) teaching.”
"Then there was a school that was starting up in [that same district]. The founder (…) found me and a former classmate of mine (…) She made us the founding teachers and then she filled out the rest. And then we started a school, which was crazy. There was only one grade—it was 9th grade—and then each year it grew. We had lunch and gym in the same gym area. There were not that many resources, but each year it got bigger and bigger and then I actually followed those kids. I looped with them all the way till their senior year. So it pushed me as an educator, because then I taught Algebra in 9th grade, Algebra 2 in 10th grade. I then taught Financial Literacy in 11th grade. That was Covid, so then I taught remote. And then their Senior year I taught them Calculus—I mean Pre-Calc because Covid slowed things down. So I taught them Pre-Calc and then I watched them graduate. And then when they graduated, I was like, ‘I can't do this anymore’. I was exhausted. I put in all my effort. I was pulling 14-15 hour days.”
“Then my older brother told me [another state] is the best state for teachers (….) I was like, ‘I'll try it’ (…) This is still Covid, so everything is still remote. This is 2021. Now, schools were still remote, so I was actually still able to teach to [my former state from my new state], but then I was like, ‘I can't do this. I can't be [here] and try to help kids [there], and I missed the in-person interaction."
“Then I applied for a school in [my current city] and I was like, ‘This, is it. I'm going to give it one last shot’. I was ready to quit at twenty-nine.”
“And then I fell in love with this school and I've been here ever since.”