In this interview, Hoggard High School teacher Mrs. Fersinger shares some insight into her teaching career. Mrs. Fersinger teaches Civics and AP Government & Politics at Hoggard and is the Student Council advisor.
How long have you been a teacher?
I believe about 25 years.
When did you know you wanted to be a teacher, and what inspired you to become one?
Ever since I was little, I have two younger sisters and we always played school and I was always the teacher. But it wasn’t until high school that I knew I wanted to teach high school. And that was because neither of my parents went to college.
When I got to the point of trying to figure out college applications and taking really hard classes I didn’t get any support from home. That’s when I knew I wanted to offer that support to students who were in the same situation I was in, I would be able to relate to those students, and I knew there had to be a lot of them because I was one. I knew it would be a fulfilling career.
What’s your favorite part about being a teacher?
I love watching a class go from the first day of a semester and progress through the semester to where they get to know each other, they get to know me and we get sort of comfortable around each other. We talk to each other, there's a class community where we can laugh and have fun but still learn at the same time.
What’s your craziest teacher experience?
I have lots of crazy stories. But in my early years as an educator one of the pranks students liked to pull was to call in bomb threats. So that’s not something that happens too much today because of caller ID and ways to track their numbers. But back then they could call it in and no matter what the circumstances were we had to evacuate , even if we knew it was just a prank.
Usually the evacuation would send us over to the football field and sometimes for half an hour–sometimes it was hours. There was even a time that we got dismissed from school. One time though, we were on the field for a long time because there was a “suspicious” package in the hallway. So the police came, the bomb squad came, and they had to send a robot into the building- this is in Maryland by the way. So they found the package and the whole plan was essentially to detonate the package. But it was just cupcakes. So somebody had left a box of cupcakes in the hallway as a joke.
Do you have any advice for students who want to teach?
Yes, a lot of times teachers will tell students who want to pursue education, to not. I would never say that, I think if it is your passion you’ll have a very fulfilling life. You will really enjoy coming to work. Don’t let the negative talk take away from the fact that being a teacher is being part of a really prestigious profession. Even though the pay’s not great, even though the conditions aren’t always the best. It’s important to remember that it is a field FULL of professionals who are highly educated and who are really good at what they do. Don’t let the negativity around the profession deter you.
This conversation with Mrs. Fersinger taught me to not let others discourage me from doing what I love. Even while facing the doubt of others, Mrs. Fersinger who achieved her goals by advocating and supporting herself. I appreciate the time Mrs. Fersinger took to give me a glimpse of her life as a teacher. I would encourage all my peers to ask their teachers about their lives–I can guarantee you will learn a lot!