“A teacher’s job is to take a bunch of live wires and see that they are well-grounded.” –Darwin D. Martin

In my home state of Colorado, I have attended three colleges as I pursued my educational goals to become a teacher. In addition, I have taken so many additional courses during my career to keep up my teaching license. But most, I have enjoyed. I really do love learning! 

At the age of thirty-three, I decided to follow my dream of becoming a teacher. I attended a community college that was housed in a former prep school for boys. My classes looked out over green pastures with mountain views. Having the local “residents” peer into our classrooms was not unusual. This former city girl enjoyed the locals who called the grassy field home, and I sometimes found it hard to concentrate on lectures, especially when I spotted a sweet-faced calf in the mix.

After receiving my degree, I transferred to a nearby university. It was an amazing journey, and I felt at home while working on my English degree. I met some incredible people and found my voice as I started my writing journey so long ago. It was one of the best decisions I made. 

After teaching for the Department of Corrections for five years, I decided to find my way back to public schools and found a job as a sixth-grade language arts teacher. One year later, I enrolled in my graduate courses and received my master’s in culturally and linguistically diverse. The year I enrolled in my program, I discovered we had many students from other nations. We had students who spoke Russian, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, and a few Polish speakers too. The courses designed to help English language learners actually helped all of my students.

Now, as I move closer to retirement, I can honestly say that while teaching has been the most difficult job I have had, it has also been rewarding. I would do it all again.

“A teacher’s job is to take a bunch of live wires and see that they are well-grounded.” –Darwin D. Martin