Called To Teach

I didn’t take the “straight line” into teaching, and if you’re feeling stuck, behind, or disqualified, my story is for you. I grew up in a Christian home, and when I was very young my dad suffered a major car accident that caused a traumatic brain injury. Living close to disability shaped how I see people, and it planted a compassion that later drew me toward special education and advocating for kids who need patient support.

What surprises most people is that I didn’t step into the classroom right away. I was steered toward accounting, worked for years in other fields like bookkeeping and computers, and kept teaching at church the whole time. Then one day, I felt the Lord tug my heart about the need for Christian educators in public schools. I went back to college, finished my degree, entered a teacher program, and started my first year of teaching at 39. If you’re an adult thinking about returning to school, changing careers, or answering a calling to education, I want you to hear this: it is not too late.

I also share the reality of the work, from the rewards of special education teaching to the pressure of special education administration and school leadership. I talk about launching a private Christian school from scratch, the stress that comes with “doing it all,” and why educators have to guard their health and fight to keep their joy. We also address the sacred trust parents place in teachers, why abuse is unforgivable, and why our schools desperately need strong, safe, compassionate people.

If this encourages you, subscribe to Educate Me Well, share it with a teacher friend, and leave a review so more future educators can find it. What part of your own story might be pointing you toward the classroom?

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Thanks for listening and keep making a difference in the lives of children!

Transcript

Tonya: 00:04 Welcome And Why I'm Sharing
Welcome to Educate Me Well, the podcast that brings faith and education together. Hi, I'm Tonya, and I'm so glad you're here. Our topic for today is about how I got into education. I wanted to do this podcast episode on how I got into education because a lot of people think, oh, I can't get into education because of this, or I can't get into education because of that. And I just wanted you to hear my story. You know, sometimes we think we have so much to overcome. And I just wanted to let you know that you can overcome those things. And I wanted to be an encouragement to you today if you're thinking about getting into education or it's just on your heart, and maybe you feel the Lord is calling you to that. And maybe you're already in education and you just want to, you just need some encouragement. And so let's go ahead and get into it today. All right. Here we go. 

Tonya: 01:22 My Dad's Injury Shaped My Heart
I was born in a regular Christian home, and my father, my dad, was working toward being in the ministry. He was a young minister, he was very young. And my mom stayed at home. And about the time I turned three years old, or right before I turned three, my dad had a major car accident. I barely remember anything from when it happened, but it was major. A guy who was drunk ran into him. My dad was driving the church bus picking up people for a revival. It knocked him out of the van and onto the curb, and he had major brain trauma. And so he I grew up as someone who was compassionate toward people with disabilities because my dad was just like another friend. I mean, we would he when he came home from the hospital, luckily he was able to come home there for a little while, and we had him with us, and he became uh very hard for my mom to take care of because he did have a traumatic brain injury and it was pretty severe. He was like a little child, and so we treated him like that. I mean, he acted like that, and so me and my sisters treated him as one of our playmates. We would chase him in his wheelchair around the yard, and he would just play with us, you know, and like a little child, most little children, you know, he did have disabilities, he was not able to walk and he was in a wheelchair. But, you know, I think back to that time, I became a special education teacher, and I think back to that time, and I think, you know, I think that is part of what helped me to have compassion and just a love for working with students with disabilities. That was my childhood there, and I always played teacher, you know. I was the oldest child of the family, the oldest daughter, and I was always the teacher, and my sisters were always the students. I mean, so we see back early, you know, I was there, and I know a lot of kids play that, but that was just something I remember when I became a teacher. I remembered doing that, you know, and I always had a heart for the disabled and the underdog quote, as we would say. There were kids at school that had even less than what we had. We didn't have a lot as children, you know, because my dad was disabled until he got put in a home where because my mom couldn't take care of him anymore. He had a lot of major things going on, like seizures and just major things that my mom couldn't handle with three little girls, and one of them being a baby. And so I just I had compassion toward those that I just felt like didn't have much, and if they had a disability or they were different, and I didn't realize it then, but I do now. I look back and I think, you know, growing up with my dad in that little bit of my childhood time when he was there, and even after he wasn't there, you know, it did change me because after he wasn't there, of course, his family always made sure that us girls always got to go and visit with him. And so I've always had contact with him throughout my life until he passed away, and he lived to be to the age of 60. I always had a heart for people who were suffering or who had a disability or just something going on in their lives. Another thing was as a young child, you know, we were in a religious family, and I was filled with God's spirit. I was filled with the Holy Ghost, and I was baptized in Jesus' name as a young child. And I've loved God and lived for Him all of my life to the best of my ability. That gives you a heart of compassion as well when you let the Lord work through you. And I try to do that, and I've always tried to do that throughout my whole life.

Tonya: 06:12 The Career Detour Before Teaching
And no one encouraged me to get into education. Most of my teachers at school in high school, one in particular, encouraged me to be an accountant. She said I would make a great CPA, you know. And when I went to college, right out of high school, that is what I was working toward was to be a CPA. I was not headed in that direction, actually. I ended up spending 20 years with three different companies. On I was a bookkeeper at one time, I was a computer programmer and also tech support and traveled a little bit for that company. And I'd always worked with computers just about in some capacity. And then also, you know, that was my formal paid jobs, you know. That is what I did for 20 years. And I also had started teaching Sunday school at the age of 16. My grandmother had been a Sunday school teacher, and I just loved watching her prepare for her lessons when I would go over to her house. And she just loved preparing for her kids, and I just would talk to her about it, you know, about her class and about her students and stuff. And I remember that. And it just gave me a desire to do the same. And so when she retired from Sunday school teaching, I was 16 years old, and they ended up putting me in there in her place. And so I started teaching Sunday school, and I taught Sunday school for 40 years, I think, something like that, over 40 years. I was a Sunday school teacher and Sunday school director for several years as well. During the time, you know, I got married, had kids, of course, and did the normal life thing, you know, that we all do. 

Tonya: 08:22 Hearing A Call To Public Schools
And at one point I was staying home with one of my boys after they were born, and I was listening one day to a radio show, and for some reason the Lord got a hold of my heart that day, and I just felt called. You know, I think they were talking about we can't leave the public education to people who are not Christians. You know, we need to have more Christian people teaching in public school, and that way we have Christian influence in the public school system. From that point on, I decided if there is a way that I can do it, I'm gonna go back to college because I had not finished my degree when I got married. I just quit college, and so I had not finished my bachelor's degree, and so thought, you know what, I am feeling this call to work with children in a greater capacity than at church. I started back to college and working toward that to finish my bachelor's degree, and then I entered the teacher program. 

Tonya: 09:44 Starting Teaching At Thirty-Nine
I graduated and started my first year of teaching by the time I was 39 years old. It is never too late to go back and get your education if you feel the call to something. My son just did the same thing, you know. He's as an adult after having children, he went back to college and got his degree, and so it's never too late to do what you feel called to do. And so I worked in public education as a special education teacher, and I loved it. That was my calling. God had called me to that, and I just felt the compassion and love, and I just really wanted to do that.

Tonya: 10:27 Special Education Leadership
And then I began working as a special education administrator at the district level after receiving my master's degree. I felt like maybe I could make even greater change by being in leadership in that area, and I ended up loving the first year or two, and then I wished I had stayed in teaching. I really loved teaching a lot. 

Tonya: 10:55 Building A Church School
Then I left public education after 17 years and went into private Christian education. My pastor and I started a church school from scratch. And when I say from scratch, I mean from scratch. I worked part-time as my as a special education administrator using all of my saved vacation time and worked part-time laying out a plan to get this school started. We shopped garage sales, we shopped second-hand stores, we begged, we pleaded for everything we needed to get started. It was a deal, but we did it. And so I enjoyed being principal there, but it was very stressful. Being the leader of a private school means you do it all. There weren't the supports there like in public school where if I needed something done or those principals needed something done, they just pick up the phone and call someone and that someone would come and do the job. Tech support, janitor, I mean, you name it, whatever you can think of in the public school system. So I had to do those jobs as well as lead teachers and students and curriculum. I worked with wonderful people, but leading is a difficult job. Not everyone likes the way you do things, and you have to do what you know is best, whether others like it or not. But yet you have to be willing to take advice and suggestions. So I spent eight years there and then I retired last year due to health issues related to stress of the job. 

Tonya: 12:54 Stress Survival For Current Educators
I just want to give a little bit of encouragement at this time to current educators. I just want to encourage you to stay the course, find a way to get the stress off. I did a previous podcast episode about no one's going to take care of you but yourself. Find a way to enjoy your students, get the stress off, and find a way to enjoy your students without letting the regulations get to you. That's what happened to me. I didn't want to become an old bitter teacher because I was so aggravated at all the regulations in the public school system, especially in special ed. Special education had so many laws and regulations and just so many constraints put upon us. And I know it's like that with regular education as well. So don't let that frustrate you. Try to find a way around that and to enjoy what you do because we all we need educators, you know. Not everyone is called to administration either. Don't let someone talk you into going that route unless you truly believe that that's what you're called to do. Teaching has so many rewards, and so does administration, but administrators don't get many accolades or pats on the back. You have to be a very strong person. Lean on the Lord. I leaned on the Lord. If it, if it there were times that if I didn't go to prayer as an administrator and pray and pour my heart out to God and listen for an answer to what I needed to do, I would have quit. There are so many times I would have quit because working with other adults is hard. And I'm not talking about just teachers, I'm talking about parents as well. It's it's tough. There's a lot of stress in that. You have to be strong. And you know, in today's world, the reason I'm encouraging you to stay, we need you.

Tonya: 15:09 Trust And Protecting Students
They need you, the kids need you, education needs you because we are seeing so many educators abuse their positions in this nation by abusing students. I know it's crazy. We just had one locally that sexually abused a student with autism, and it totally infuriates me. When I saw it, it was just like, I really think the same thing needs to be done to them sometimes. But you know, parents trust you. Don't ever abuse that trust, don't ever destroy a child's life. You are called to bless and nurture, not tear down. Get out if you can't be what children need. But at the same time, I'm encouraging you stay and be what you can be for them and ask the Lord to help you be what children need today and what the system needs today. 

Tonya: 16:14 Encouragement for Future Educators
Now, I also want to encourage anyone who thinks you might want to be an educator. You're a future educator, maybe you're in college right now, you're working toward that, or maybe you're a home school mom, you know, that her children is getting grown, and and you really feel a calling to go help in education. You have that experience. No matter where you're at, if you're feeling that call, I believe that God has a plan for every life and that you need to answer that call if you feel God tugging at you. No, it's not going to be an easy career, but I'm telling you, it is worth it. The rewards are worth it. Teachers are leaving the field due to the stress of the job, but don't let that discourage you. God will give you strength to do what He's called you to do. Special educators are desperately needed to work with students with special needs. College advisors may try to talk you out of it like they did me. They yeah, they actually tried to talk me out of it. But listen to your gut and and do what you know that God has called you to do. So let me encourage you, whether you're there or on your way, you can do this with God's help. And so I hope my story has been a blessing to you, and I hope you can pick something out of it that will encourage you on your journey. 

Tonya: 18:07 Contact and Final Charge
Thank you for joining me today on Educate Me Well. I'm grateful you spent this time with me, and I hope the conversation encouraged and equipped you. If you have ideas for future episodes or questions you'd like me to explore, you can reach me anytime at admin at educatemewell.com and be sure to keep an eye on educatemewell.com. The website will be up and growing as new episodes are released. Until next time, keep making a difference in the lives of children.