Teaching is more than just a career; it’s a calling driven by passion and purpose. For one dedicated teacher at Galileo, this vocation has been shaped by a lifelong love for education, a connection to favorite subjects like English and history, and an unwavering belief in the power of relationships. Through 26 years of teaching, this educator has embraced the joys, challenges, and unexpected opportunities that come with shaping young minds. This interview delves into their motivations, favorite moments, and aspirations, uncovering the heart behind their impactful career.
Why did you choose to be a teacher?
My first career choice was to teach at a young age. You know, maybe elementary school, middle school, you just have those things that you think you want to do. So it was always a teacher. It’s just something that always appealed to me. I like the school setting. I like the environment of students and teacher interaction.
Why do you teach your subject?
I’ve always loved my subject. My two favorite subjects all the way through school were history and English. So they were always my two favorite subjects, the ones I was the most interested in and the ones that I tended to excel at. So when it came down to picking the major, I picked history, probably because I always liked the relevance of it more.
If you had to take a class at this school, other than your own, whose class would you take?
Theater hasn’t really ever interested me until I came here. But the idea of being associated with Mr. Weyler and hearing a lot of the things that go on in there sounds really fun. So I think they’re having a lot of fun. So I would probably want to try. Just to experience something different.
What’s something about you that you don’t think your students would expect?
That I like to dance, personally. I mean, I guess that would be kind of different for them. I don’t think they would see me in that light.
Out of all your time teaching, what do you think your best decision was?
Well, this is year number 26. So I’ve had a lot of time to reflect and experience things in my career. I’ve been to three different schools. So that’s all been an experience that plays into decisions. So I think in general, it’s just the experience. And I think the decision to be a teacher and just the relationship and the impact, just seeing a lot of kids over the years as they come back and interact with me at this age, I think that’s probably the best decision I think I’ve made.
Looking back, if you could make one change to something in your teaching career what would it be?
I’m going to quote something I heard recently and I’m going to say, I don’t think I would change.
If you had to switch classes with another teacher (you teach their class and they teach yours, not just people but subjects as well) who would it be?
My first thought would be English. As they’re teaching a novel, I enjoyed reading a long time ago and just kind of seeing how that would go with the students. That would be my first choice since English is my next favorite. But I think I would enjoy teaching gym too. I think I’d kind of like to swap out and do some cool stuff that they do every day.
If you weren’t a teacher what would you be?
I don’t think I would. There is no other option. I tried, I say this all the time actually, I tried to avoid teaching and went and did something else for a while and then I came back to this and I literally can’t think of anything else that I would do at this point, even with sometimes the frustrations or the disappointments. I think I made the right choice and I feel confident and comfortable with that choice.
What are some of your favorite things? (foods, movies, books, games, colors, people, etc.)
I love to spend time outside, whether it’s just working in my yard or sitting on my back deck. That’s what I like to do a lot. I usually try to do that in the warm weather almost daily. If it’s nice just to sit. I like the fresh air and sunshine. It just helps in general just to feel better about anything, it gives you some kind of peace. So being outside is my favorite thing. Spending time with my family is good, and I love to travel, so I’m starting to do a lot more of that. I’ve been to Europe twice, but now I’m trying to think more about this side of the world. Last summer I took a trip with my dad and my husband and we went two weeks out west. We just did a driving tour out west and we mapped out the destinations we wanted to do. We would just drive and stop along the way and get to that point, stay, spend the night, come back. So we just kind of knocked out a lot of things in about a 14 day trip.
What is something you love about Galileo?
I love the teachers. I love the administration and I love the kids. I really do. This little community kind of feel that we have here is special. I mean, I’ve been in three schools so I do have something to compare it to, and that’s probably the most important thing. I know everybody says academics is the most important thing but I don’t know. I think the most important thing is that feel, and everything else kind of follows with that. If you don’t have that strong sense of community and the interaction, I think the other things suffer. So, that’s the one thing I probably am drawn to.
What’s a secret about being a teacher that students don’t know?
We are actually real people. That we experience things like they do, have experienced all the things that they probably are experiencing. That we go to the grocery store, and we cook dinner, and we sit outside and we mow our grass, and we have life things and family moments, and that we’re just normal people. Because sometimes you tend to put teachers in a different group. Like, oh, they don’t do all those things. Yeah, we do.
If you had to sponsor a new club what would you want it to be and why?
It’s interesting because I’ve thought about that since I’ve been here. In a previous school I established a club that was part of a national thing. So if I were to start it again at Galileo, it would be like Falcon Minds Matter. And it’s basically a whole Mental health awareness group for kids to kind of come and just talk and do things together, feel comfortable about talking about different things that may be going on with them. I guess it’s similar to POP. I’m not sure, when I got here it seemed almost like a different, maybe a similar branch. But this one’s geared to a lot of different specific mental health things that we got off the ground there a few years before I left that school. And I’ve often wanted and thought about starting it here, but my first year had a lot of things going on, like being a new teacher, new school, new stuff, so I wasn’t ready yet. Now I’m in year three, and I’m still kind of thinking that’s really something that we need here, but I haven’t tackled it or ventured out to do something. Put it in the books.
Out of all the staff members at Galileo, who would you like to have in your class?
Funny. I’m thinking that it depends on the kind of class that I want it to be. If I want fun and entertaining and trying to kind of always get the class back on task then Mr. Carter. For some really nice back and forth camaraderie maybe some of my friends I already have here like Kinnett, Larking, Guzman, and Murphy. I mean, just a good, friendly, kind of environment.
Out of all the staff at Galileo, who is the biggest softy?
Oh, I think Mrs. Larking. She has a really big heart, and she’s the one that’s always the most bubbly to me. Even on the days when I know everybody, even her, probably doesn’t feel as bubbly, but she maintains that.
Out of all the staff at Galileo, who would you be interested in reading an interview like this on? Who do you think the student body should get to know better?
I’d say all of them, and if you’re gonna do all of them, I definitely am interested in what we would all say, because we are kind of close knit. I think we’re all interested in learning more about each other.
