At 18 years old, choosing a career could be intimidating.
However, when your grandma’s done it and your parents did it, it might just be a good fit for you.
That was the case for Spanish teacher Jamie Nichols, who wraps up her teaching career at the end of May.
“My grandmother was a teacher, my mom was a teacher and my dad was for a short time,” she explained. “I also loved my Spanish teacher in high school, and I thought that she seemed to have so much fun when teaching.”
Of course, deciding on a future career is certainly an important decision – and, it's always a good idea to keep options open and look at a multitude of different professions. This is what Nichols decided to do before she committed herself to teaching. “I thought I might work in International Business, and in my first year of teaching, I even applied to law school,” she said. “I was accepted, but decided against going, and I'm glad I did. I can't imagine doing anything else.”
For Nichols, what better place to teach at than the school she graduated from? “I love teaching here. At first it was a bit weird because I was teaching with a lot of my high school teachers,” Nichols added. “Over the years, the number of my own teachers still here has certainly dwindled, but I truly value all of the relationships that I've built here.”
One of those relationships was a continuation of one that started at birth; Nichols had the opportunity to work with her sister, Andrea Birke, who also teaches Spanish in the World Language Department. “I love teaching with Mrs. Birke,” said Nichols. “We see each other every day, and we celebrate together on the good days, commiserate on the bad days. We know that the other one ‘gets it’ no matter what we share.”
Even though teaching might sound like a dream job in many ways, with every job comes change. Being able to adapt to change is really important – especially for teachers. “Change is scary, and I don't generally like it. However, I've learned that if you don't worry about it too much and just go with it, it's not that hard to change,” Nichols said. “I know that I'm a better teacher now than I was in the beginning due to all of the positive changes and experiences.”
Experiences also happened outside of the classroom – and even outside of the United States for Nichols. As a Spanish teacher, Nichols took international trips with her students, allowing them to be immersed in the culture and daily life of some of the countries they studied. “I have been on several trips with students, and they've all been wonderful,” said Nichols. “I've been to Costa Rica, Spain, Ecuador, Perú and México. México was one of my favorites because it was the first trip that I took, and it was just me and eight students.”
Now heading into retirement, Nichols had a lot planned. “I'm really looking forward to welcoming my first grandson in May, and to traveling a lot,” she explained.
Even though Nichols’ time as a teacher is ending, she wants her image as an educator to never fade. “I hope that more than learning Spanish, each student has known that I cared about them and would help them in any way that I can,” Nichols added. “I hope that I've been a good role model and mentor.”
Story by Cash Wooden