By Jeanne Zheng Ms. Adams is a graduate of Vanguard University, where she earned a Bachelor’s in biology; she later went on to UC Riverside, where she earned a Master’s in education and teaching credentials. She also completed the Administrative Service Credential program at CSU San Marcos in 2016. Ms. Adams currently teaches AP and CP Biology. In this interview, she spoke to The Primer about her experiences in high school and college, as well as the reason she chose a career in education. At the end of this article, we also reflect on what we have learned from this interview, and how such lessons could impact the lives of all students. THE INTERVIEW![]() Q: What did you want to do or be in high school? Did you wind up following that path later in life? Why or why not? A: I did not have any sincere career aspirations in high school. I felt like I didn't even know what all my options were, and choosing a path felt overwhelming to me. I knew I liked science, and I wanted to earn a degree in a field with many opportunities. I was also drawn to the sciences because it is such a rigorous field, and I would be proud of my degree. Many adults I knew had jobs in the medical field and worked at the local hospital (Hoag, in Newport Beach). I worked there throughout college and got to experience what is was like to work in the OR, ER and on a typical hospital floor. I interacted with caregivers and patients in multiple ways and I determined the medical field was not for me. I also spent my summers in college doing research with plants. Working in a lab setting felt isolating, repetitive and boring (for me!). Which leads me to the next question… Q: Why did you choose this career? Is there a particular person who inspired you to become a teacher? A: I chose this career because it suits me as an individual. Teaching is inspiring to me because it is about building relationships and helping young people grow to reach their goals. I am inspired by all my teachers to this day. The memories I have of them (for better or for worse) are still teaching me as I continue to grow in my teaching practice. After quitting my exhausting OR job, that included very long and odd hours, I moved on to tutoring underprivileged youth in my own community. It was through this experience that my eyes and heart were opened to the teaching profession. Q: What were your favorite subjects and extracurriculars when you were in high school/college and why? A: I loved all subjects except math. I was a voracious reader growing up, so I felt especially happy in literature and English classes because those came naturally to me. I played tennis and was a cheerleader. I also participated in gymnastics and dance classes outside of school. Culinary arts was a passion of mine too, so I took a year of culinary arts courses that included an internship at the Hilton. It was an amazing experience. When I was a senior in high school, I learned that I would be on my own financially when I turned 18, so I quit all my extra-curricular activities and started working almost 40 hours per week on top of going to school. I succeeded in saving enough money to get me through (along with scholarships & financial aid). Q: In your opinion, what are the best and/or worst parts about being a teacher that the average person usually isn’t aware of? A: The best part is the students! My students have no idea how much they brighten my day and make me want to be a better person. The worst part is trying to live up to my own expectations for myself as a teacher. I feel like I am continuously falling short of being the teacher I want to be. However, I believe that is just the nature of this career. The constant opportunities for growth and learning are amazing. Q: Lastly, what advice would you give high schoolers who one day hope to become teachers? A: I would tell them to start observing the classroom through the lens of a teacher. Really put yourself in their shoes and imagine how it would feel. I would also tell them to get into teaching because you love students first (rather than subject first), because the foundation of your teaching practice is built on the relationships you form with students. Finally, I would encourage them to go for it, because I think it is the best job in the world. :) REFLECTION: Finding Your PassionAfter I went over Ms. Adams’s interview, two ideas really stood out to me:
In many ways, Ms. Adams personify the result of doing those two things. Every morning, as students start trickling into her AP Bio class at around 9:30, Ms. Adams greets everyone with a cheerful “good morning!”. She is always happy to help pupils when they have questions, and does her best to encourage her students’ own passions. When you talk to Ms. Adams, you feel like she genuinely cares; this may seem incredibly clichéd, but it’s becomes clearer as you spend more time in her class. It’s evident in the smaller things, like how she asks some of my classmates who do research how their projects are going; it’s evident in the fact that she is the club advisor to not one, not two, but six clubs, all of which are in some way connected to science. When I mentioned to her that I had finally published my first article on The Primer (which happens to be one of the six clubs she is advisor to), she asked me to email it to her so she could read it. Ms. Adams genuinely cares, which I think is the ultimate sign that someone is doing something they love. If there’s anything you should take away from reading this article, it’s the importance to find what drives you. Ask yourself: what is it that keeps me going? What is it that makes my heart beat? What is it that I wouldn’t mind sleeping late and getting up early for? If you don’t think you know the answers to those questions quite yet, then look for them! Ask others. Take internships. Volunteer. Be proactive--because someday you may end up doing something that you look forward to every single morning, something that you love with every fiber of your being, and it will be the most wonderful feeling in the world.
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