A Teacher’s Journey from Struggle to Purpose
From a little girl who questioned her worth to a classroom where every child is reminded they already have it.
There’s something deeply full-circle about the life I live now.
If you had asked me as a child what I wanted to be when I grew up, being a teacher did cross my mind, I just never believed it was something I could actually become.
I struggled as a child, a lot.
I can still picture my kindergarten classroom. The hum of voices, the shuffle of papers, the feeling of “everything” being just a little too much. I talked too much, they said. First, I was moved to the back room. Then, to the carpet. Then into a cubicle. And finally, into the hallway.
I was even held back in kindergarten. That second year felt a little easier but stopping the talking never really happened.
Strangely, I didn’t mind the hallway all that much. That’s where I started to find my love for talking with people.
But as I grew, so did that quiet belief that I wasn’t adequate.
So, I became the odd kid. The one people didn’t quite know what to do with. Some people probably thought I was just crazy. I cut my hair wild, pushed against expectations, and didn’t look anything like what a typical small town girl was supposed to look like.
School didn’t come easily to me, especially math. It felt like a constant uphill climb where no matter how hard I worked I was always a step behind. My ADD didn’t help. It shaped how teachers saw me and for a long time it shaped how I saw myself.
I wasn’t the smart kid. I wasn’t the easy kid. And somewhere along the way I decided I wasn’t the kind of person who became a teacher.
But somewhere in the middle of all of that self doubt there were glimpses of promise.
Teachers started to notice me in different ways. In my cooking classes I excelled. In my art classes I found confidence and creativity, something clicked. Those moments mattered more than I probably realized at the time. They were small reminders that I could succeed just not always in the ways school traditionally measured.
Still that belief that I wasn’t teacher material stuck with me longer than it should have.
Still I kept going.
I went to college and earned a degree in Fine Arts with a minor in Humanities and a focus in Museum Studies. It was a path that felt more within reach, using my creative hands on a different academic space.
It wasn’t until I was an adult working in a museum that everything began to shift.
There I was writing and creating curriculum for the local area elementary, middle and high schools. Without fully realizing it I was already stepping into the role I once thought I could never have.
Someone saw me.
Jonathan Skinner looked at me and decided I belonged in a school. He saw something I hadn’t fully seen in myself yet. He took a chance on me and in doing so changed the direction of my life.
My first year of teaching was within an elementary classroom and was a whirlwind but I was blessed enough to have Sandi, Patty and Lori by my side. I took pieces of what made each of them such incredible teachers and wove it into who I am today. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think about those three wonderful women and the impact they had on me.
Once I stepped into the school I stayed. I worked in the classroom before I ever held my own teaching license, doing night school at Liberty University in order to get my teaching degree while working as a fulltime teacher under a special licensure from the state of Montana. I learned to be a teacher backwards without formal training at first learning on the job one day one student one lesson at a time.
For the first time I started to believe that maybe I was capable of more. That maybe all those things I had gone through weren’t signs of failure but pieces of a bigger story.
And then four years ago I was given the opportunity to teach my dream curriculum.
Now I get to teach travel and tourism. I get to teach cooking classes. I get to teach sewing.
This job allows me to pair my passions, to be the best advocate and teacher I can be, and to share my love of food in a way that helps students connect learning to real life. I get to create a classroom where learning is hands on, where students are involved every single day where kids who might struggle in traditional settings can finally see themselves in a different light.
That is everything to me.
As I sit back and reminisce about my own story I am still brought to tears by how much my life has transformed from that little girl who didn’t think she was enough, to someone who now knows she is. And more importantly someone who gets to remind the next generation that they are enough, no matter what they wear who they are or what their home life looks like.
Now standing in my own classroom I understand my story more clearly.
I believe God placed me on this path with intention. Every struggle, every moment of doubt, every time I felt misunderstood it all shaped the teacher I am today. It gave me empathy. It gave me patience. It gave me the ability to look at a student and see beyond behavior beyond labels beyond first impressions.
It truly is a blessing every single day that I get to wake up and come to school.
Every single day I walk into my classroom with one goal to speak truth light and understanding into the lives of my students especially the ones who remind me a little bit of myself.
Today was one of those days that reminds me exactly why I am here.
We started our unit on food preservation diving into early methods like salt packing and smoking and tracing how those techniques have evolved into what we know today.
Today we worked hands on with it in a way they won’t forget. We made jerky and we also prepared a dry rub for both the pork butt and brisket. The students got to use our brand new school smoker, seeing firsthand how heat time and seasoning transform simple cuts of meat into something entirely different. There was ownership in it pride curiosity and a kind of excitement that only comes when learning becomes real.
Each group took their own approach. Some crafted marinades experimenting with flavor and balance. Others focused on dry rubs layering spices and learning the purpose behind each ingredient. There was laughter, curiosity, a little bit of mess and a whole lot of learning happening in ways no worksheet could ever replicate.
We also prepared and talked through cuts like beef brisket and pork butt connecting it all to something bigger. These pieces will be part of our upcoming pre K art show event bringing together food creativity and community in a way that feels meaningful and tangible for my students.
It wasn’t just a lesson. It was an experience.
And as I stood there watching them engaged confident trying new things working together I couldn’t help but think about that little girl who was moved from the back room to the carpet to a cubicle and finally into the hallway the one who felt too much too different too unsure.
She wasn’t too much. She wasn’t incapable. She was becoming.
Teaching is more than a job to me. It’s a calling rooted in understanding shaped by experience and fueled by the belief that every child deserves to feel capable.
Today was a good day. And I don’t take a single one of these days for granted.
8th Grade BBQ Brisket Rub (a.k.a. “The Bark Boss Blend”)
If you’ve ever had brisket that made you stop talking for a second… yeah, this is how you get there.
According to our 8th grade kitchen crew, the secret isn’t fancy, it’s seasoning, patience, and not messing it up at the last minute.
This rub brings the flavor, the color, and most importantly… the bark.
Ingredients
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup coarse black pepper
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Give or take any of these, and how do I measure again?
What’s Going On Here (according to 8th grade)
This mix hits everything:
salty, a little sweet, a little smoky, and just enough heat to make it interesting.
The brown sugar helps create that caramelized crust (aka “bark”),
and the spices build flavor while the brisket cooks low and slow.
In student terms:
“This is what makes it taste like real BBQ and not just… meat.”
Directions
Step 1: Mix it up
Throw everything in a bowl and mix it until it looks evenly blended.
No spice clumps,those are not your friend.
Step 2: Prep the brisket
Pat it dry. Yes, actually dry it.
If it’s wet, the rub won’t stick and we will all be disappointed.
Step 3: Season like you mean it
Cover the brisket completely. Don’t be shy.
Press the rub in so it sticks.
Optional (but approved by some students):
Add a thin layer of mustard or oil first to help it stick.
No, it won’t taste like mustard. Yes, they will ask that.
Step 4: Let it rest
Let it sit at least 30 minutes.
If you plan ahead (rare, but impressive), refrigerate overnight.
This is where the flavor actually starts doing its job.
Step 5: Cook low and slow
No rushing. Ever.
Leave it unwrapped at first so the bark can form.
Low heat + time = tender brisket
High heat + impatience = regret
Kitchen Reality Check (from your class)
Someone will ask: “Is it done yet?”
Answer: If you have to ask… it’s not.
Someone will try to turn up the heat to go faster.
Stop them immediately.
Someone will say: “I don’t like spicy.”
They’ll still eat it.
Final Thought
This isn’t just a rub.. it’s the difference between
“Yeah, that was fine”
and
“Wait… who made this??”Take your time. Trust the process.
And remember… good BBQ is not rushed.
