How long have you taught at North? 24 years.
What has been your favorite part of Niles North? The students, hands down. I’ve worked with thousands of students over 24 years; they bring a lot of joy and challenge.
Why did you want to work in education? That’s an interesting question… Because I worked with teenagers all through college, and realized that that was what I wanted to do. So, after college, I decided the path for me was going to be to become a counselor, but that was a very long time ago, and we had to teach first. So, I actually taught in Chicago Public Schools for five years, and then I was a counselor there for five years before I came here.
Did you like being a counselor more than you did being a teacher? It was always my plan. They’re very different jobs, but I was never in it to be a teacher; I was always in it to do the school counselor role. So, for me, this was the right job more than that was, but that was a means to an end.
What words of wisdom do you have for aspiring teachers? Probably many… Take joy in the kids, because that’s what it’s about. Follow up with people—they’ll appreciate it. And, without more preparation, that’s what I’ve got.
What has been your proudest moment while teaching or being a counselor? Oh my God, there have been so many. Really, that’s a complicated question, because there’s a lot to think about. It’s been a lot of years—like, double your lifespan lot of years—but this year, actually, there’s a younger brother here, who’s not on my caseload, of a former student of mine that I was very, very close to. And, it was wonderful to see him. He had been a baby when I [had] had the older brother, and so it was wonderful to meet the younger brother and to see the mom again after so many years. And, my student came back, and I got to see him, and he’s an emergency-room doctor and doing incredible things. It’s very rewarding to see kids who set dreams and goals, and then they meet them, and then you get to see that they’re living the dream that they set. So I would say, for this year, that stands out for me as a really special opportunity to both see that student and to see his mom, because I was at a principal’s [award] breakfast where the younger sibling was being awarded. And so the mom and I got to see each other, and it was really great.
What are your plans for the future? Dear God, If I only knew. I do not know right now what that looks like. I’m going to do a little travel this summer and then see what that is. I’m hoping to still work, and probably still relate it to education or nonprofit work, so I’m not sure. I’m going to go see a lot of theatre.
Is there anything else that you’d like to include that I didn’t mention? Just that I really wish for all my students, that they get to live out their dreams and that they work hard to make that happen. And, I wish everybody a lot of happiness and success in their future, and I’ll certainly leave wishing that for everybody.
