Joan Ohi, who switched careers from the corporate world to become a math teacher at Manheim Township Middle School, stands in her classroom on the first day of school.
By Robyn Meadows
Published Aug 28, 2006 14:51
The 42-year old West Lampeter Township resident lay in bed with a smile on her face thinking, “This is my first, first day as a teacher.”
The new math teacher arrived at Manheim Township Middle School by 6:20, fresh-faced and eyes brimming with excitement. Manheim Township is one of 10 districts in the county that started school today.
Ohi didn’t have to get there so early.
“It’s a little bit of nervousness,” she said.
She finished her lesson plan last week, but wanted to “double, triple and quadruple” check everything. Without a classroom of her own, she’ll carry her supplies as she moves from room to room.
Her briefcase is packed and ready.
“It’s not like a huge thunderstorm” will hit if I forget something, she said.
By 7:20 this morning, students poured into the front entrance. Their chatter filled the air, and the morning pace quickened. Ohi’s confidence remained in place, but she looked a little anxious.
Not the bad anxious, mind you, but the kind that comes with knowing you’ve changed your life. And, you’ve changed your life for something wonderful.
Ohi, who has no children, was ready to get her students focused on what they need to learn.
Her previous career and education prepared her for this moment.
Ohi was a “corporate climber” in the animal health business. Her field was sales and management.
It meant traveling and moving, taking her to Virginia and Illinois.
In 2000, the Pittsburgh native left Illinois and moved to Lancaster with her husband, Rick. It was his career in consulting, not hers, that led them back to Pennsylvania.
Suddenly she had to update her resume and make some choices about her future.
“This was a real personal journey,” she said. “I thought, ‘Do I want to stay in the career track that I am on, or do I want to take some time” and maybe do something else?
She chose teaching.
It made sense. In her corporate career, she felt happiest while leading training and development sessions.
“It was (a question of) what am I going to love doing until I retire, and that was the answer right there,” she said.
It was never about the money.
And it sent her back to school.
Her bachelor’s degree was in biology. She enrolled at Millersville University, where she recently completed her certification to teach math.
“I thought if I’m going to teach something, I want to teach the thing that I have the most fun with and that’s math,” Ohi said.
She hopes to parlay that to her students.
This school year, Ohi will teach six math classes, one algebra I, three regular seventh-grade math and two regular eighth-grade math classes.
Ohi wants her students to enjoy it. She knows that not everyone is an A student, but she promises to encourage them along the way.
“It’s going to be a lot of work, but if you practice, you can get better,” she said.
Ohi seems to live by that rule herself.
Sunday night, she fell asleep at 10 after speaking to her mentor and checking her e-mail. Her husband told her, “You need to relax your brain,” or you are not going to sleep well.
For awhile, she visualized how she wanted this morning to go. And, then she slept just fine. She did, however, open her eyes 30 minutes ahead of her alarm clock, ready to get going.
She believes in herself.
Maybe that’s because she’s older and has years of experience in the corporate world.
Maybe it’s because she feels a sense of higher purpose. Teaching is a noble profession.
“We are affecting the adults of tomorrow,” she said.
Whatever the reason, Ohi can’t help but smile.
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