Teachers make a great impact on young lives. It is so important to have caring dedicated teachers to shape the lives of our children. When I think back on my early education, I have several teachers that come to my mind. Those that have inspired me and some that frankly scarred me for life. I was in 5th grade, when my art teacher took my project, tore it to pieces and then threw it in the trash. My crime was I didn’t follow the instructions. I can’t remember what it was that I didn’t do right, but I pretty much hated art after that. I never thought I could do anything that was remotely creative until later in my adult years.

I was in 6th grade when, I found out the teacher I was so grateful to not get in 5th grade moved up to 6th grade and of all horrors she was who I got. I was dreading my 6th grade year, the last year of grade school, where it was almost like the equivalent of being a senior in high school, because I got Mrs. Buster for my teacher. Turns out in retrospect, she was one of the best teachers I ever had. She made me work hard for every good grad I got, even giving me my first bad grade ever. By the end of 6th grade she had become one of my favorite teachers. Thanks to Facebook, many of her former students are friends with her. She is at the wise old age of 90 now and still beloved.

Up until my 7th grade year, I had no love for science, didn’t really care for it at all. Seventh grade biology changed that for me. Mr. Legg was my biology teacher. It was this class that made me want to become a doctor. I loved it! Mr. Legg made a class that could be super hard into something that was fun to learn. Eventually, I changed my mind to becoming a pharmacist, but Mr. Legg is the teacher that gave me a love of biology and a desire to go into a healthcare field.

In high school, I had many teachers that made learning fun and willing to help with subjects that I struggled with, but the one person who helped me get to my goal of pharmacy school, was my high school guidance counselor, Mrs. Pine. She found out what I wanted to do after high school and she was all over it. Directing me to scholarships and applications to apply to early acceptance into pharmacy school, she gave me the tools I needed to accomplish my educational and career goals.

Good quality teachers are important to having a successful school district and cultivating young minds to learn. I am running for school board to help ensure we have the best teachers and that they have the tools that are needed to do their job well.

What teachers have impacted your life?