Courtney Caldwell
High School English and History Teacher
Seoul International School
Milestones
My road in life took a while to figure out.
Planned on being a politician throughout college.
Got sick. Really sick. A friend died. I reevaluated. Passion for politics / justice more personal.
Took a year working with college students at my alma mater / healing / figuring out what was next.
Decided to teach, which was never in the cards. In Alabama. Took me years to heal from this time.
Had a principal who told me to try teaching one more time. Moved to Seattle to teach high school.
Taught. Grew. Loved. Explored. Traveled. Learned. Was inspired. Teenagers are my calling.
Felt stagnant. The culture and energy was changing at the school. Grad school? No more teaching?
Moved to Korea to teach internationally. New life. New people. New challenges. New questions.
Keep following my journey
Education
Career
High School English and History Teacher
I teach and learn and grow and enjoy working with high school students.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Education
Politics
Upholding a Cause and Belief
Day to Day
I listen to teenagers. Their stories, their heartbreak, their stress, their point-grubbing, their passions, their exhaustion. I develop curriculum. I plan lessons. I grade papers. And then grade more papers. I go to meetings. I file papers. I make photocopies. I make posters. I inspire kids to do more and say more and be more than they ever thought. I challenge some kids to open their mouths and other kids to close them. I laugh. A lot. I get inspired. I get frustrated. I get challenged.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for college students
Study what you love. Don't major in education. Go back and get a masters in Education, but in college, just take classes that open your mind. Study abroad. Find professors that inspire you, figure out what about their teaching inspires you and then use that when you begin teaching. Remember that you teach students first and content second.
Recommended Education
My career is not related to what I studied. I'd recommend this path instead:
Bachelor
Anything you love
Anything you love
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Myself:
"You should know what you want from life by this point."
Challenges I Overcame
Financial
