When I was a sophomore in college, I ran teaching workshops for Calculus as a side job. I have always like helping students learn. I had this one student who failed the prior semester. Not only did I see tremendous growth by her, but I actually saw her enjoying the learning process. She made note of how I actually made things make sense and she was so grateful. That was the moment I knew I wanted to be an educator versus just an engineer. I spoke to my advisor the next week to figure out what I had to do to teach.
While I earned my PhD, I took any education workshop or training session I could. I was the first participant in the future faculty preparation program to publish an educational research study in a national peer-reviewed journal. When I transferred to NASA, I took part in as many education outreach activities I could.
I finally got to achieve my goal to become an educator at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. Teaching college engineering there and at Arizona State University did not feel right. As such, I left academia. I tried some other opportunities, but then I saw an application to become a substitute at STCS. I have always loved teaching, I just was not happy with the politics of university life. I saw this as a nudge to re-enter education, but to target students before they are part of the politics of university academics. I still love teaching and I am glad I get to bring that love to kids who love learning.
