Teachers and their craft: Why CCHS teachers entered the profession

BY ALEXANDRA SANSONE

At CCHS, teachers have taken many different paths to arrive at their profession, and each has a unique journey and rationale to share. However, though teachers devote each and every day to helping students as they navigate through life, their own journeys are often overlooked.

Mathematics teacher Michelle Harding certainly did not become a teacher because she loved grading papers. Harding’s love for teaching students the ways of formulas and equations stemmed from a strong influence of educators in her life.

“When I was in school I loved my teachers,” Harding said. “My mother was a teacher, my aunt was a teacher and I like to learn.”

Harding attended Florida State University (FSU) with the intent of becoming a math teacher. Not wanting to teach the simple arithmetic, she opted for instructing high school students, beginning her first “big girl” job at CCHS 23 years ago.

Mathematics teacher Michelle Harding certainly did not become a teacher because she loved grading papers. Harding’s love for teaching students the ways of formulas and equations stemmed from a strong influence of educators in her life.

“I hope that they [her students] learn how to problem solve after they come through my class,” Harding said. “Not just math problems, but also real-life problems where you need to be able to just figure out if something is happening and if there is a way to find a solution.”

Much like Harding, English teacher Lisa Jones attended college with the dream of becoming a teacher. Jones’ love for teaching can be traced back to her childhood, when she lined up her stuffed animals and later her siblings, guiding them through homemade assignments. After graduating from the local McArthur High School, Jones received her English degree through completing courses at Broward College and Florida International University (FIU).

Once she managed to obtain a teaching position, Jones taught middle school for 13 years before transferring to CCHS. Over the years, she has seen changes in her job that are not necessarily listed in the description.

“There is a lot more pressure on kids than before and so I think a lot of times, when people go into education and they realize that not only are they responsible for teaching the curriculum, but they also kind of have to act like a counselor and nurse sometimes and all these other things,” Jones said. “There is so much we are responsible for. ”

Jones’ love for teaching can be traced back to her childhood, when she lined up her stuffed animals and later her siblings, guiding them through homemade assignments.

Now coming up on her 20 years of teaching, she shared why she has decided to stay despite the constant difficulties the job presents.

“There are days when I am stressed, but it is usually because of the adults,” Jones said. “It’s never the kids. I want them [students] to, if not to enjoy my class – because I realize not everybody enjoys sitting in a classroom – to at least feel like they took something out of it.”

Below Jones’s third floor classroom lies ninth grade English teacher Melissa Cabrera’s class, with walls decorated with student art and inspirational posters. Cabrera, unlike Jones, graduated having studied communications and advertising before realizing that she wasn’t in the right profession.

Upon realizing her true calling Cabrera went back to school to receive education credits, but having come from a long line of teachers, she was heavily warned against taking on the profession.

Before connecting the dots, Cabrera had been working as a nanny in New York and took care of two children, one of whom had autism. She was able to teach the child sign language, opening up the door for communication that was previously shut. For the first time, the boy was able to communicate with his family.

“It was such a beautiful thing that I wanted to go ahead and do that with my entire life,” Cabrera said.

Upon realizing her true calling Cabrera went back to school to receive education credits, but having come from a long line of teachers, she was heavily warned against taking on the profession. Instead, Cabrera followed her heart and is merrily celebrating her tenth year of teaching.

“The kids are the reason I keep coming to work every single day,” Cabrera said. “I just want to help them to be the best version of themselves that they could possibly be.”

Next door to Cabrera’s colorful classroom is ninth grade English teacher Fallan Patterson. Patterson has only been teaching for three years after having pursued a career as a journalist.

Patterson first fell in love with journalism in high school when she joined her school’s paper. She later worked as a professional newspaper reporter for eight years, but it was not meant to last.

“I’m kind of a nosy person and I really like knowing what’s going on and that was a way to kind of feed that,” Patterson said. “I tried really hard for eight years to fight for a position I was happy with and at a certain point I had to give up that dream.”

“You guys [students] are with us seven hours a day, where else are you going to get those corny jokes and high fives?”

Teaching had always rested in the back of Patterson’s mind, so she fulfilled the requirements and earned her teaching certificate. Having been influenced by her own high school teachers, Patterson recalls how valued she felt walking into the classroom.

“I think at the end of the day I wanted to have that impact on students because I think that we, as a society, have gotten away from that a bit,” Patterson said. “You guys [students] are with us seven hours a day, where else are you going to get those corny jokes and high fives?”

Sometimes, a teacher journeys through multiple professions before finding the one that suits them. Peggy Wilfong, Honors and AP World History teacher, did not find herself teaching until 10 years ago. In college, she set out with the intention of becoming a veterinarian. While her love for animals and biology compelled her, chemistry seemed to be the defining factor in her change in studies.

“I was much more interested in having fun in college than making sure I did well in chemistry,” Wilfong said. “Before I knew it, it [pursuing veterinary medicine] would have meant a lot more years at school and I really didn’t want to do that, so I became an American study and economics major.”

“I made very good money but I never liked it,” Wilfong said. “We are kind of young when we make the decision of what we want to do and we don’t really know what it is we want to do.”

After graduation, Wilfong ventured out into the business world. Acquiring a job on Wall Street, she remained there for about 20 years but wasn’t content.

“I made very good money but I never liked it,” Wilfong said. “We are kind of young when we make the decision of what we want to do and we don’t really know what it is we want to do.”

So, when she moved to Florida she decided it was time for a change. Instead of pursuing a job in the business field, she took the classes needed to become a real estate agent. Still unsatisfied, Wilfong began to substitute teach and liked it so much that she worked towards having her very own classroom.

Upon receiving her teaching certificate, Wilfong took up her first teaching job at a middle school in Coral Springs but was surplused at the end of the year and reassigned to CCHS. During her first few years at the school, Wilfong did not have her own classroom but instead had to switch between buildings for different periods. That was until she asked to take on AP World History as the former teacher was retiring.

“I was scared to death but at that point, there were only two AP classes,” Wilfong said. “I have kind of embraced it and made it mine and I love it.”

Whether focusing on humanities or STEM, one thing these teachers have in common is their love of spreading information and important skills to their students.

“Students will learn that whatever rises falls,” Wilfong said. “We always need to know where we came from to know where we’re going. I think that is really important and I want to be able to communicate that to my students.”

Photo by Sarah Khan