Happy Cat Lady
One of my student evaluations warned that “Ms. B talks about her cats a lot which gets kinda annoying . . . but she tells funny stories and she’s pretty chill.” It’s still one of my favorite responses (even though the student must have been a dog lover!), because what else does one need to know about a person???
My kids also tend to mention my heritage. My parents emigrated from Scotland in 1978, and although my twin sister and I were born here, we spent every summer with our family in Glasgow. I did several years in speech therapy before a specialist finally realized I didn’t have a problem, just a bizarre accent! As a first generation American, I understand the more hilarious (and occasionally humiliating) aspects of having parents who don’t ‘get’ how U.S. schools are different. Nothing says “pick on me” like weird clothes from a foreign place. Many of my students deal with much harsher realities as the children of immigrants, but some things are universal.
My father and mother were my greatest inspirations in life. They both came from very difficult backgrounds, particularly my mother, who was orphaned at a young age and lived in extreme poverty. Both of them achieved medical degrees and became two of the top physicians in their field. My mother always told me “Education is freedom,” and it was Scotland’s egalitarian educational system that made it possible for my parents to achieve their dreams. My parents made sure my sisters and I had the best educations possible, and worked hard to expose us to world and its cultures. My education was vital to my success, and as a teacher I strive to ensure my students have access to the most meaningful experiences I can offer.
Education & Employment
In spite of the importance of education in my family, I came to teaching later than most. I began writing and editing for websites in my last year of high school, and decided to pursue a degree in English with a vague understanding I would become a professional writer. I attended Mount Mary College in Milwaukee before transferring to Loyola University Chicago, and earned my BA in three years. With my extra year, I was given the opportunity to attend King’s College London to continue studying English Literature and earn my MA. I did well, as my transcripts show.
My work earned me a position with USWeb, a web marketing company that generously gave me a variety of opportunities in the technology sector, with each new assignment offering exciting challenges and more than adequate compensation. I could usually work from anywhere and on my own schedule. I was able to combine my love of language and my fascination with technology to do some really remarkable things. I had plenty of time to pursue my other interests and advance my education. In many ways, it was a perfect job.
And yet it all seemed very ephemeral. Nothing on the web really lasts — you’re lucky if your work stands for six months before it is replaced by a new design or approach — and it is difficult to believe your work adds anything meaningful to the world. I had a wonderful ten years before I decided I needed something more. I realized that the assignments I most enjoyed involved leading trainings, advising others, and helping people achieve success. I decided that if I really wanted to make a difference, being a teacher was the way to go. You can find more about my pre-teaching history here.
The above resume covers the majority of my teaching experience. To make a long story short, I returned to Mount Mary to earn a secondary teaching certificate and was recruited at a job fair by Clark County School District in Las Vegas, Nevada. At the time, it was the fifth largest district in the nation and had an extreme teacher shortage, particularly in schools that serve at-risk, underprivileged, and/or minority students — exactly the kind of meaningful work I desired. Teaching, I discovered, is more than a career for me, it’s a true vocation. It’s my life. I taught in Vegas for ten years, mostly at Southeast Career and Technical Academy, a Title I minority-majority magnet school that achieves a 98% graduation rate. For more about SE TECH, please check out the school’s profile. I never dreamed I would have to leave teaching, and I was heartbroken when I had to take the 2017-2018 school year off to look after my ailing mother. I moved back to Illinois, and while I’ve been thankful for the time with her, I’m excited to get back to teaching.
If there is one thing you should know about me (besides my fascination with cats!), it is this: I believe the greatest happiness in life is serving others, and the greatest service one can give is to teach. For more about what teaching means to me, you can read my educational philosophy below.