SNAPSHOTS

Dream vacation: Train ride across Canada 

Travel to past or future: Past

Favorite season: Fall 

Character you’d be: Wonder Woman 

Sneeze glitter or cry rainbow tears: Cry rainbow tears

ZOOMING IN

Q: How long have you been teaching?

A: “I have been teaching for 29 years, and I’ve always taught math. I taught middle school for three years, but for the most part, taught high school. I majored in English but I love [to do] math and teach it.”

Q: Tell me about your favorite memories.

A: “My favorite memories are of students saying ‘Oh I get it.’ That’s why I love teaching summer school because I get to work with the kids their teacher couldn’t connect with, and to be able to get them to understand is amazing. I prefer to teach the kids that struggle with math so I can help them finally get it.”

Q: What inspired you to become a teacher?

A: “I played school as a kid a lot. I became a teacher because I was a single mom, and I wanted to be with my son as much as possible, so it made sense to me.”

Q: How has your teaching style changed over the years?
A: “I’ve had to adapt to technology. I’ve always done grouping, I believe [students] can learn easier in groups. I’ve always taught slow and strong, but still challenge kids and utilize technology as well.” 

Q: What steps did you take in your career to get to where you are?

A: “When I was in school, I never thought about anything other than teaching math. Since I could write very well and quickly, I decided to major in English and minored in some math classes and that was how I gained enough knowledge to become a competent middle school teacher. After I got my certification in English, I immediately got it in math as well. Some extra steps I took at this campus was to learn all the new things, [and] I would seek out training. For example, when the smart board came out, you had to go to training to learn how to use all the different apps like Excel and PowerPoint. I love to learn different strategies and how I can work with teams better.”

Q: What advice would you give to new teachers?

A: “Be firm but loving. I think you have to be firm because when you’re  not, kids will walk all over you, but you still have to be loving. Even to the ones that want to make you love them the least, they need you to love them the most.”

Q: What were some of the biggest challenges you faced over the years?

A: “The most recent challenge has been technology, where a kid can use an app and get all the work for them. That takes away the thinking. My biggest challenge is to reach a kid who knows all they have to do is go to a device for the answers, but get them to still want to learn. I like to do rewards for test grades and team work. Students didn’t even know their teammates’ names, so I started doing competitions where I would take the average of each team so they had to work together.”

Q: What legacy or memory do you hope to leave behind?

A: “There was a kid that said they understood why it was important to learn and work for yourself. He came in and said, ‘The best thing I learned in your class is to do my homework again. I used to not care but you made it important to me.’ So I hope I got kids to know it’s possible to learn. I think kids give up too soon and go to the device, it’s too easy. I love algebra 2 because it teaches you how to think. I hope my students understand that hard work pays off, and this will help them preserve in the future.”

Q: What are your plans for after retirement?

A: “Visit family I haven’t been able to and find whatever is next. I don’t have to work, but I want to find another way to help. I think I was destined to help. I know myself and I know I won’t be able to sit around and do nothing, but I hope to find my next purpose in life.”  

SNAPSHOTS

Favorite restaurant: Angelina’s Mexican Restaurant

Dream vacation: Scotland 

What types of music boost your confidence?: Rhythm and blues

If you could have any ability, what would it be?: Ability to run fast

If you could give one message to the entire world, what would it be?: Doing everything you are charged to do is how you show love to the world.

ZOOMING IN

Q: Tell me the steps you took to begin your teaching career?

A: “I had chemistry & mathematics. As a grad student, a private school offered me a job teaching mathematics and physics. I enjoyed my work there so much. My cousin urged me to apply for a chemistry teaching job in Beaumont, Texas. Then, I entered an emergency certification program to get my certification in the state of Texas.”

Q: How long have you been teaching?

A: “Thirty one years, with 29 in Texas.”

Q: Why are you retiring?

A: “I need to take care of my health issues.”

Q: What are your plans for after retirement?

A: “Take care of myself. Train my dog to be my daughter’s service animal, and tend to my aging mother.”

Q: What advice would you give to someone who is just beginning their career in education?

A: “Start with an area you will continue to read and learn about. Then, get the necessary degrees and certifications.”

Q: How do you hope students will remember you?

A: “As a teacher who expected them to do their best in all things.”

Q: What’s been your most memorable moment while attending LHS?

A: “Volunteering for events like prom and homecoming.”

Q: What motivated you to keep teaching even when it was difficult for you?

A: “Knowing my students needed the challenge to do hard things, and then seeing them do hard things in their life after school.”

SNAPSHOTS

Favorite restaurant: Angelina’s Don Francisco’s 

Who do you enjoy spending time with?: My family and close friends 

Favorite song: “Amazed” by Lonestar

Favorite day of the week: Friday

Favorite season: Summer 

ZOOMING IN

Q: How long have you been teaching, and what subject or grade do you teach ?

A: “I taught middle school Deaf and Hard of Hearing students in Mesquite for 17 years. I taught English, math, science and reading. Then, I transitioned to high school. I have taught 9-12 for 13 years.”

Q: What was it that inspired you to pursue a career in education?

A: “I met a deaf person in my first semester of college and by getting to know her and Deaf community, I knew quickly that is what I wanted to do.”

Q: How has your time in education impacted you as a person?

A: “I believe I am more patient and understanding. Teaching the students  I have has shaped my love, understanding and passion for the Deaf community. I have some lifelong friends from that as well.”

Q: Is there a moment when you felt especially proud to be a teacher?
A: “There are two examples here that make me the most proud. The first is when my former students reach their goals and dreams and reach back out to me to let me know. I love seeing all of their successes in life. The other is when current or former students come back to tell me they met a deaf person at their job and they were able to have a conversation with them or help them. I love that so much.”

Q: What will you miss most about LHS?

A: “I will miss my interactions with coworkers and my students. It has been a part of me for a long time and it is a little weird to know it is about to be over.”

Q: Why do you think teachers play a huge role in education?

A: “Teachers play a huge role, yes, but so do the students. We can only pass along the knowledge and impact students’ futures if the students are open to the opportunities we provide.”

Q: Why are you retiring?

A: “I have been teaching for 30 years, and it is time to do something else.”

Q: How do you hope students will remember you?

A: “I hope students remember me as being a fair teacher. I also hope they remember how much I care about each and every one of them, including the challenging ones.”

Q: What are your plans after retirement?

A: “I will take the first year [off] to truly feel and live the retired life, visiting my kids and grandkids as often as I can. After a year, I plan to come back to LISD as a bus driver.”

SNAPSHOTS

Favorite song: “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd 

Dream pet: Sea otter

Go-to meal: Pizza 

Ocean or space: Ocean

Favorite movie: “Rudy“

ZOOMING IN

Q: How long have you been teaching?

A: “I’ve been teaching for 34 years. Twenty six years at Lewisville High School, and eight at another school.”

Q: What inspired you to become a teacher?

A: “A really good college professor. I liked the way she taught in college, the way she did labs, she was very passionate. I wanted to try it because I thought I was going to be a doctor, I was pre-med. She inspired me, so I gave it a shot. 
I switched my degree plan. I didn’t know if I could be a good mom and a good doctor at the same time. Then I started struggling with a course in genetics and organic chemistry. I knew I needed that class. I just looked into teaching. The classes I took for education weren’t like the real world. They weren’t helpful, but then I went to the classrooms and did observations and helped the teachers.
 I could understand the way they were teaching, but my college professor didn’t do that. I loved it. In my first year of teaching, I got injured. I had 33 stitches because a kid threw something and it hit me, so I had to go to the emergency room. He took a VHS apart. He thought he just slid it off my demo desk, but he didn’t know I was going to go down and plug something in and it hit me.”

Q: What grade and subject do you teach?

A: “I teach juniors and seniors. I teach aquatic science and I taught AP environmental science. AP Environmental and Aquatic Science. I love teaching about the environment. I love aquatic science. I just love things about water. I like sharing knowledge about the environment. 
I’ve done anatomy, IPC and biology.”

Q: How hard was it for you to become what you are now?

A: “It’s been harder the last few years, but before, it wasn’t as hard at all because I wanted to learn more. 
I’m a lifelong learner, so I do lots of workshops over the summer, and I love sharing activities and doing fun things with the kids. So, that wasn’t hard, 
but I think what’s become harder is the kids don’t want to learn. The kids don’t want to learn, they would just rather watch videos. I’d have so much to share, but they don’t want to hear it. It’s easy if you love teaching like I do and you’re passionate, but it’s gotten harder because nobody wants to share my passion. That’s what’s become harder, but otherwise, I did my master’s, and I learned more about my master’s in science teaching, so I got to do a lot of stuff to do with kids. I’m always part of programs where I get a lot of free resources, so we get a lot of cool stuff. I would always travel over the summer and get it paid for and learn new stuff.”

Q: What was the most difficult thing in your whole career?

A: “The most difficult thing in my career was student apathy. That’s been the hardest part of my career because I can’t change that. I think that starts at home. 
You have to value education and want to learn.”

Q: What do you want to tell your students that they will never forget?

A: “Learning is a lifelong experience, always take advantage of opportunities that come your way.”

Q: Why are you retiring?

A: “It’s just time. It’s time for a change. 
It’s time to take care of myself and see what happens and try a new journey.”

Q: What are your plans for after you retire?

A: “I gotta work at my house. I’m going to go find another job doing something that’s not education. I will work another job because of social security. Now that they freed it back up, I can get it. Teaching doesn’t pay into social security, 
so I had some social security for my first teaching job, and I didn’t know that most Texas schools weren’t paying into it until I switched jobs.”

Q: What is your favorite memory you will never forget?

A: “My favorite memories are field trip experiences with my students. We went to the Dallas World Aquarium. 
We went to the wastewater plant. 
We went to the Wetland Center. Those were probably my favorite experiences. The kids got to see what we were talking about 
and make a connection to the learning.”