Eagle's Voice

Why do our teachers decide to become teachers? How did it become their career path? These are questions that some of us may ask ourselves. Or maybe even wonder, what’s the right career for me? I decided to ask Mrs. Holland, one of our beloved history teachers,  some career based questions to put into perspective what picking the teaching profession is like. 

Was being a teacher always your career goal?

“I have always wanted to be a teacher.  When I was little I would “play” school with my younger cousins. One example I remember vividly was when I was in second grade and my teacher Mrs.Cardone had tons of extra worksheets at the end of the year. She said we take as many as we wanted. So I stuffed a bunch in my bookbag. I used the worksheets (then called “dittos”) to teach my younger cousins about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad.” 

Like I’ve said before, sometimes our path in life is clear to us even when we’re young children. And then those dreams turn into our futures. 

Did you always know you wanted to be in a history centered career?

“I always  had a love for history and world affairs. I grew up with my grandparents. My grandmother would always have the morning and evening news on and my grandfather was a history teacher before being a physical education teacher. So we would constantly debate historical and contemporary affairs together.”

 We have many things in our life that influence our decision while we choose an occupation. That helps us see what job is going to be the right one for us. Like even our favorite subjects…

What was your favorite subject when you were in school?  

“My favorite subject was always history and politics.” 

There’s always a teacher that impacts us in a positive way or if you’re lucky you can have multiple.

Were there any teachers that you have meaningful memories about? 

“I would say there were two and both were in high school. The first memorable teacher was Mr.Reynold my history teacher for two years. He was witty and recognized how I excelled in his class. The second teacher was my senior year English teacher, Mrs. Sica. She was the first language arts teacher that explained the time period of the novel, so one could have a better grasp of the meaning of the stories. She also introduced me to the book “The Things They Carry,” about Vietnam. After I read that book, I realized that I actually enjoyed reading. I just didn’t like the mandatory reading list I was focused to read in school. I opened my eyes to my love of reading.” 

Mrs. Holland impacted my life positively by being an amazing teacher and showing how much she cares for her students. We all have at least one amazing teacher but unfortunately sometimes we are shown the opposite. 

Was there a teacher you had growing up that you think impacts the way you teach?

“Unfortunately, the two teacher that actually had an impact on my style of teaching were two that I dreaded going to their class. They showed me what not to do as an educator.” 

Whether the experience was good or bad, teachers always guide us to the path we need to take. They teach us how we want to be as we grow older and what choices we want to make to be like or be different to those people. 

If you had to choose a different subject to teach, what would you pick?

“Honestly if I was unable to become I history teacher, I think I would have changed professions. I would have become a guidance counselor or a social worker. Either of those choices would have allowed me to help children.”

Deep down you always know what you truly want. The reasons we pick a certain job could be simply because we enjoy it or it’s deeper, like the way it can impact or inspire others. That’s what draws most people to their destined occupation. 

What’s the most meaningful thing you get out of teaching highschoolers? 

“Unfortunately my husband and I were unable to have children so teaching gives us both  an opportunity to have meaningful relationships and an impact on the younger generations. When it seems like the world has gone crazy, I walk into the room and it reminds me that there is more good then bad in the world.”

Teaching is such an amazing job. It’s easy to forget how much thought and care many teachers put into their teaching and their students. And maybe we sometimes forget to show these amazing teachers how much we truly appreciate them, but it’s never too late to let them know. Teaching is a hard job, so it did make me wonder if given the chance would one of our Central teachers choose a different career? So I asked Mrs. Holland…

If you were given a chance to go back and change your career, would you? Why or why not?

“I definitely would not change a thing (including starting my teaching career at the middle school). I have the best job in the world – I get to talk about my favorite topics to young adults.”

There you have it, the lovely interview with Mrs. Holland.