Tech teacher Amanda Waters said she left her corporate desk job to follow her dream of being a teacher. Waters said she first got her degree in marketing, and then went back to University of Central Missouri for her masters in teaching.
“I always wanted to be a teacher,” Waters said. “But since I was the first person in my family to get a degree, my dad would rather me get a degree in a career path that allowed me to make more money than teaching, but happiness is better than money.”
Waters said she teaches Web Design, Multimedia, Media in Technology and Business and Tech Concepts. She said she is torn to pick favorites between what is fun to teach and what is easy to teach.
“The easiest [class to teach] is Project Management/MIT because the students know what they’re doing,” Waters said. “I really like teaching Business Tech concepts (BTC) because these kids have no computer skills in Microsoft Office or they don’t know a lot about the business world, so it’s fun to teach them something completely new. So it depends on easy or fun for me.”
Since she is teaching high school students, Waters said her main goal for the year is to survive. Waters said she wants to be a positive teacher, unlike some of her own teachers.
“I see myself as a passionate and positive teacher because I really do care about the subject that I teach,” Waters said. “I think it will really help my students in college or even if they don’t go to college. That’s why I like it.”