12 in 20/Carlie

Welcome to my 12 in 20 series, where once a month for a year I highlight a women who has found and is following her passions! I hope that you enjoy each story, they are all unique, although I am finding there is a golden thread woven through each story… these women knew early on in life what their passions were. For some the road was long and bumpy- sometimes fast and covered with Georgia clay. The “fast with clay” is this kind of story. Thank you for joining me in the fourth post of this series.

Carlie always knew she had a passion for helping people, (I call it the helpers heart). Her passion was especially strong for helping kids and to be a difference maker in their lives.

Her path to fulfilled passion started in the seventh grade, realizing that she was one of the lucky ones who not only understood math, but enjoyed it! (Who does that??) Always one of the “good kids, she found herself beyond bored in her math class. While her favorite teacher, Mr. Wiley explained the same concept for the fourth time to other students, she had already finished her work. Mr. Wiley recognized this early on (thankfully), and began handing her the lesson and the nights homework at the start of class, she found that she was able to get all this work done before the warm-up for the other students was over. After finishing her work, she would than help with small groups of students in class, it was early on that she realized that she was able to explain the concept to her peers with ease and most of the time was able to increase their level of understanding.

Love of math than took her to earning some spending money tutoring, and she quickly realized that she had a knack for being patient with those who needed extra help. Fast forwarding to high school where her love of math did not falter. Carlie enrolled in Teacher Cadet class in her senior year of high school. Teacher Cadet class allowed her to leave campus at lunch to learn about teaching two days a week, and observe in the classroom the remaining three. On the first day of observation she was “thrown to the wolves” by the teacher, Ms. Bonner who was teaching at the same middle school Carlie had attended. Ms. Bonner had her go over the homework with the class, no warning, no cheat sheets, no practice. At first she was horrified but almost instantly realized that it felt like home to be in front of a class giving instruction. Carlie still holds a great deal of gratitude for Ms. Bonner at her willingness to let a high school student take over her classroom giving her a wonderful life experience that propelled her into her career.

Life moves fast, high school ended and Carlie attended Hope College along the lake Michigan coast line, pursuing a degree in Secondary Education for Mathematics and Psychology. Each year of her four years at Hope had her doing teaching observations and practicums. Unlike some of the other students who had never been on the other side of the desk, she was ready, she had experience…thanks to Ms. Bonner. During Carlies senior year of college, which was the coldest winter she had ever been through, Carlie found herself stuck inside a one bedroom apartment with her roommate for two weeks straight. Within the boredom and confinement she received an email from the education department at Hope. It was advertising this company, Southern Teachers Agency, where teachers (or soon to be teachers) could send an application for free to twelve states full of private and independent schools. Figuring “What the heck” and knowing that once she graduated she really didn’t want to go through another Michigan winter like the one she was suffering through, she sat down and applied and that was that. Not giving it much thought after hitting submit, until March when she received an E-mail from the Headmaster of a private Christian school in Georgia, they wanted to speak to her over the phone! This would be her first teaching interview. She jumped at the opportunity, and was surprised how easy it was to talk about her passion of teaching math, and coaching volleyball. The phone interview went well and the school took the next step of flying her down to Georgia for a face to face interview. Struggling with pneumonia, she aced the interview, and found herself looking at an offer before boarding her flight home. She had been impressed with the school and they with her.

Having just a few short day’s to decide the trajectory of her life Carlie found herself driving from her parents home back to her college apartment in complete silence. This is a “never happens” scenario as she is a lover of music… it was then, in the silence that she decided to pray about this job offer. Thinking that God would offer her a sign about which path she should take. After praying and feeling sure that the answer would somehow come to her, she turned on her radio to hear the Eli Young band sing the song “Dust“… “There’s a future that’s bright in the dead of this night, all she’s gotta do is go and turn the radio up. Roll the windows down she got an open road, Ain’t no stopping her now. She’s got the pedal to the floor in a hand-me-down ford, yeah, the only thing that’s left to do is catch a couple green lights and those baby blue eyes are leaving nothing in that rear view mirror but dust.” She felt like every word of this song spoke to her and fed her soul with peace- this was the answer to her prayers. She would be moving to Georgia.

Arriving in Georgia to an apartment that was secured sight unseen and finding it to be in a bad of town was almost too much. Not only had she planned this new career and left behind her loving and supportive family, but now she was over eight hundred miles from anyone she had ever know. She was scared, and missing home immediately. She was ready to turn the U-Haul around and head home with her family. But she didn’t, she stayed to see what else God had planned for her in Georgia… turns out… a lot!

Life changed so much during this time. Only one month after moving to Georgia before classes even started, she met her husband. He swooped in to save her from an “old man creeper” at the local bar. Her husband, being the southern gentleman he is, stepped in and helped her out. (She notes that his Granny who raised him would have been proud!) Just six months after meeting they were engaged, a proposal coming at the same bar where they had met. Another five months passed quickly and they were wed.

Shortly after getting married they pursued the passion of Foster Parenting together. This was an incredible, exhausting and difficult time for the newly married couple. Three years later they were able to legally adopt their Daughter and Son and during this time they also had a biological child as well. Being a parent was so rewarding that it quickly was her top passion, but knowing that she still had the love of teaching and the desire to help others she continued with her career. Five years had moved fast, they had been filled with about as many life changes as a person can have, graduation, moves, marriage, children, courtrooms, and the fulfillment of teaching at a beautiful school. She had been able to merge her creativity with her lessons, and helped her students fall in love with math. But, her time in Georgia was coming to an end. With three young children and a longing for something new, the decision was made to move from Georgia to Michigan to be closer to family… her career took one more turn.

Carlie had grown up in a family where she felt loved and secure. She didn’t go to bed wondering about her safety or if she would have food to eat. In middle school and high school her “group” of kids were considered “misfits” or “outcasts.” The middle school and high school years were difficult for her. She knows first hand the amount of damage that can be done to a persons self worth and self esteem from being bullied. She was determined to make her classroom a safe haven, as free from the nastiness of bullying as possible A safe haven for those who maybe didn’t have the safe haven at home that she did. She brought that attitude along with her desire to make math interesting to her new classroom. In Georgia, Carlie had taught at a private school where the kids were expected to make good grades, to not only finish but to excel! Parents were paying a good tuition fee to see that their children were taught what they needed for a successful future, and the student parking lot always had nicer cars then the staff parking lot. With her move came a new challenge that filled her heart, she began teaching at risk youth, this came with great worry and the feeling of obligation. She is always reminded of the basic needs that go unmet for her students, food, clothing, deodorants, baby diapers etc… she finds herself spending portions of her paycheck to go toward these items. Along with providing rides, a safe person to talk to, and reminding them that she is always there for them. There are nights (too many to count) that she spends awake with worry for her students. The one who has not shown up to class in the last few days, whose brother was shot and killed, the student whose Grandma calls to let her know her Grandchild is suicidal or the student who steals extra snacks from the cabinet while she pretends not to notice because it’s Friday afternoon and she knows that they will not eat until she see’s them Monday morning. Her wish would be to make the pain go away, to make everything better. She’ll always do her best for her students, sometimes she is all they have. She considers herself blessed.

We all know that wonderful teachers can be the make or break for some students. I feel like the young adults in Carlie’s class have found their angel on earth.

Thank you Carlie, for being who you are-

Till next time,

Erin