Although teachers are often just seen as teachers, many have had other occupations or currently have fun or unique jobs outside of school. With Santa Fe’s diversity, some teachers have had jobs in the legal system, other countries and in environmental areas.
Haylee Frazier
Haylee teaches math and ACT prep at Santa Fe, where she also serves as an NHS (National Honors Society) sponsor. Her path to the classroom was a journey: she previously worked at a radio station, a restaurant, an ice cream shop and as a lifeguard. Today she also carries those customer service skills into her teaching.
“I navigated that daily, choosing battles, communication, all of that translates to the classroom in many ways,” she said. “I can function well when things are chaotic all around me.”
Even when school is out, Frazier stays busy as supervisor for Northwest Pools Management, maintaining neighborhood pools across Edmond and OKC. What started as a way to earn extra money turned into a passion.
“I ended up loving everything it had to offer. I get to work with great people,” she said.
She’s even looking for recruits:
“Want to be a lifeguard? Email me! It’s the best job ever!”
Drew McNeil
After trading a law firm for a classroom, McNeil finds his new path far more fulfilling.
“Teaching is way less stressful,” he said, recalling the days of bringing work home and laboring long after hours. Although he does say he misses the salary, he does not miss the “boring” nature of legal work.
McNeil says he actually enjoys teaching more than working in a law firm.
“I enjoy teaching on a day-to-day basis; I find it engaging,” he said, adding that his law career lacked the personal rewards he now finds in the classroom.
Today, McNeil teaches AP Art History and AP World History, where his legal background still plays a role in helping students master proficient writing. Though he spends a month each summer assisting a friend at the Overman Legal Group in Oklahoma City, his days as a full time attorney are now over. For McNeil, the engagement of the classroom outweighs the perks of the firm.
John Tellers
Before John Tellers decided to come back to teaching after being a college student professor, he worked as a geologist. While Tellers was in school he didn’t know what he wanted to do until his second semester of college when he took a geology class
“The teacher that I had was excellent, one of the best, and then I got lucky and I was like wow, that was a really great class,” he said.
Later, Tellers decided to take another geology class. Having those two “great teachers” it propelled him to go down that path. When asked if he would ever go back to being a geologist, Tellers stated:
“I might do a different field of geology so instead of drilling oil in gas wells, I might do an environmental geology,” he said. “This is proof that a good teacher may be all that you need to help you figure out what you want to do in life.” said Tellers.
Jarred Bush
Bush was a young graduate in his mid-twenties who did not know what he wanted to do with his life. A friend asked him if he wanted to work with his company, and that job opened many more doors. Jarred Bush started working for his friend’s flyboard company in Cabo San Lucas. Bush described fly boarding as:
“Like a skateboard for your feet but in the water then attaches to your ankles,” he said.
His job was to teach the rider how to use the fly-board one-on-one before they get in the water. With previously teaching flyboarding and now teaching students there are many similarities but also many differences. Teaching one-on-one to teaching 20-30 kids for multiple hours a day.
But it’s not just the teaching size, it’s also what you´re teaching, teaching spanish and flyboarding are similar because to learn you need to have an understanding of what you’re being taught. Although he may not be meeting as many people as he used to, he now gets to meet new students and make a difference in their lives.
In the end, all of these teachers use their past experiences to reflect or even better their teaching. Teachers aren’t just the people that grade your papers and sit in a classroom for many hours a day. They work hard in and out of school. So next time you see any of your teachers, remember they were once in your position as a student trying to pass their classes and navigate this life too.
