I got into teaching many years ago. My first job out of college was as a sports reporter for a small paper in Rome, NY. While I liked my job and was good at it, it didn’t satisfy me. We watched the events of 9-11 happen on the TV in front of us and I decided that I wanted to do something that mattered. I wanted to give back to the community. I wanted to go into teaching history, something I had often thought of before while at college. I quit my job and entered graduate school to get my Master’s degree in secondary education.
After a few years of hard school work, student teaching, substitute teaching, and low paying jobs, I finally got a job at a rural school district north of Binghamton. I loved teaching right for the start. Unfortunately, the school was very poor and after 2 years, budget cuts cost me my job. I spent a whole summer applying for jobs before I found the Family Foundation School. I interviewed here and they hired me.
While I was nervous about working about at a school for at-risk teens, there was something about this place that called me to it. It felt like home. I soon realize that these kids were a lot more motivated than the ones I had taught in public school previously. I had a lot of fun working here.More importantly, to me anyway, was that I could see the fruits of my labor. I could see students who came here and struggled and were defiant grow into more mature and more aware young adults. I saw kids learn to care about themselves and others. I saw kids doing better than they had ever thought they could do before.
I have often joked that this place is teacher heaven. For me, it is. I enjoy the students and staff here very much. I find new challenges and opportunities everyday to teach, not only history but about life and faith too.
Thank God for the Family Foundation School!
Scott C.
(Throughout Thanksgiving Day, read more Thanksgiving reflections from staff at the Family Foundation School)
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