English teacher Rhonda Daniels, a former law enforcement officer who made the bold decision to switch careers and become a teacher. After serving her community for years, Daniels decided to change her passion towards teaching. 

“Law enforcement and corrections are the same as any profession,” Daniels said. “There are good and bad people working there, but I would say that 98% of the officers are doing their job well. Unfortunately, the bad ones make it difficult for everyone. Some of the absolute best people I have known were cops and corrections officers.”

Daniels worked the corrections side of law enforcement for almost 23 years, six of those years were with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and the rest were with a sheriff’s department in the Texas panhandle.

“When I was working in corrections, I think one of the most challenging things about it is that I was dealing with people when they were experiencing some of the worst moments of their lives,” Daniels said. “People react to being locked up differently, and I had to learn how to navigate all those differences quickly.” 

Though she loved her profession, she always dreamed of becoming a teacher, but she didn’t go to college after high school. After retirement, she went to college to be an English teacher; graduating from college the same weekend as her daughter.

This is now her fifth year in education but her second year teaching. She started going to college while she was still in the sheriff’s office, but retired during college courses. She then began working as a paraprofessional in Amarillo for three years before she came to Lewisville.

“[When interviewing to become an English teacher at Killough], an admin who had gone to the job fair raved about her and came back saying to everyone, ‘This is the lady we need to get ASAP,’” Killough English teacher Patricia Jennings said. “An interview was set up quickly. She was very friendly, personable and helpful. She uses that time in law enforcement to prevent situations from escalating, or as a way to ‘keep it real’ with students.” 

Going into teaching, she knew what to expect working with teenagers since she has older children. What she underestimated going into the job was the amount of time teachers spend on paperwork.

“So far, I have only taught sophomores,” Daniels said “I like teaching this age group because they are pretty mature most of the time, but they still get a little silly when the time is right.”

English has always been Daniels’ strongest subject, giving her love to read and talk about things she’s read. It was pretty easy to choose the subject.

“I do think that my experience helps me connect with students in a variety of ways, “First, I bring a different real-world view into the class that I think students find interesting. I try to share stories that connect in some way with our content, and I think the students appreciate hearing them. My previous experience has also helped put things into perspective, so I don’t get upset or angry very easily.”

Though she doesn’t know it yet she has made a big impact on her students.

“There were some things I always got confused about because it was my first honors class for English and I thought I was gonna fail my STAAR test, but I passed thanks to Ms. Daniels,” sophomore Lily Aguilar said. She would help you alot like when you would ask her questions she would explain it in a way you could understand.”Not just academically but personally.

“I like that she keeps the lights down low in class, especially since I had her for first period,” Aguilar said. “It really helped me feel calm since I would be so tired in the morning, it helped me process things better instead of being forced to wake up immediately. She gives off a good vibe. She understands teenagers and is pretty chill. I love how she has patience with us.”

Seeing Daniels has had a positive effect on others; it has also had an effect on her as well.

“The most rewarding part of teaching is the kids,” Daniels said. “I truly enjoy helping students explore the world through the texts we read and the class discussions we have. I like to have fun when possible and, as one of my current students says, ‘embrace the cringe.’ When my students join in on some of my goofy or cringey moments, it brings joy to my heart.”