Last Friday I had an interview with Mardi Suhs from Cadillac News in my hometown.  The best part was having my dad there, and we had an opportunity to all meet in the first classroom he taught in at Cadillac Junior High (he retired after 37 years).  My father, Mr. Bray, is well-known in the area and most people who went to high school there had him as a science teacher.  Unfortunately I didn’t have the opportunity to be in his class, but I did get the privilege of learning from him my whole life!   I have told people about his influence in my life many times over and as much as I know he is proud of me, I hope he knows that I am just as proud of him!

Growing up around a teacher gives a truly unique perspective, and it was the reason that I became a teacher.  I saw the hard work – hours of planning, grading, and professional growth, but I also saw the rewards.  Throughout my years, I cannot count the times that I heard people talk about how wonderful of a teacher my father was, and I saw the pride he had when he knew he touched a student’s life.  I knew I wanted that too!   From when I was a small child, (my parents recount me telling people from the age of 5)  I proclaimed to everyone that I wanted to become a  biology teacher.  My path never wavered even though other options came in my path, and here I am now after 16 years of teaching and still loving every day of it!  (granted some days are tough, but it is all so worth it)

Today I received an email from a friend that I graduated with, and she excitedly let me know she had seen an article about me in the paper today.  I called to let my parents know so they could finally see it and buy one (I bet it will be more like 10 though!) I am leaving a link to the article in the Cadillac News below, it was a great write-up by Mardi.  Thank you!

Link to article in Cadillac News:  http://www.cadillacnews.com/news_story/?story_id=1801012&year=2012&issue=20120622

I received a great education in Cadillac Public Schools through my middle and high school years, but I must also note the importance of the foundation of my schooling in the early years.  I went to a St. Ann’s school, also in Cadillac, and could not be more thankful for the education I received there.  This is where I was taught the basic skills and qualities it took to be a great student.  It is also where I first started staying after to help teachers in their classrooms… hey, teacher’s pet or not, I did it because I loved it!

I want to end this post with a big thank you to all the people who influenced my life – my dad and his love of teaching and science, my mother and her value of education and teaching me to always do my best, my brother and sisters who endured hours upon hours of letting me play school with them, the teachers and schools along the way who taught me not just subjects, but life lessons, my professors at CMU and GVSU who work to educate and support people going into teaching, the colleagues I work with in GRPS and Ottawa Hills who work hard at what they do every day, and most importantly the students I have taught throughout my career – they are the ones that make me want to be the best teacher I can!