Katie Parmer
High School Teacher
“Be willing to take chances.”
Milestones
My road in life has been direct.
First, I decided I wanted to major in English and applied to CSUF and CSULB. I ultimately went with CSUF because the campus was a perfect fit.
During my studies at CSUF I did the study abroad program at the University of London where I studied English and Cultural Anthropology.
During my last undergrad semester, I decided I wanted to teach in high school.
Then I graduated from CSUF and decided to do the teaching program there. During that time I did internships and my pre-teaching requirements.
Then, I finished the credential program and applied to work at Rancho Verde High School, and was hired there.
Education
High School
Career
High School Teacher
I teach AP English and American Literature at Rancho Verde High School.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Education
Writing
Teaching / Mentoring
Day to Day
On a typical day, I wake up around 5 AM and get some coffee. There is a coffee machine in my classroom, so there is always a flow of coffee throughout the day. I teach five out of six classes. One of them being my prep period, which this year is second period. I usually get ready for most of my classes during that time, as well as grade (sometimes procrastinate, because teachers do that too). I do club advising during school; we have a built in flex schedule. Then I'm usually off by 4:30.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for everyone
Apply to places that interest you and that match your vibe, but be willing to take chances. Definitely do your research so you walk into an interview confident and prepared.
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Society in General:
"The noise I hear the most is when people claim we don't teach "life skills" and that schools should be teaching things that will help you in life, like taxes, and budgeting, and auto shop or home etc."
Challenges I Overcame
Anxiety
Q&A
Do you feel as though your parents had any effect on your choice of profession? Why?
Asked by Sarah at CSUFSurprisingly, they didn't effect my choices on my career. Even though they are both teachers, I initially wanted to do something with marine biology. One day in high school I woke up and just knew I wanted to teach English.
Did you attend any other colleges and if so where?
Asked by Sarah at CSUFYes, I did actually. I did the semester abroad program through CSUF and was able to study literature at the University of London. It was such an amazing experience.
What grade did you want to teach and why?
Asked by Sarah at CSUFSo I always loved the literature I was reading when I was in high school, so when I decided to start teaching I went with high school. This is because the literature that I loved to read was more mature and I feel I liked having mature discussions.
What is your least favorite part about being a teacher?
Asked by Sarah at CSUFI wouldn't say there are any bad things about my job, but something that I dread doing is grading. It is very time consuming, especially if i have to read almost a 100 essays.
How and in what ways did your parents talk to you about college?
Asked by Sarah at CSUFWell both of my parents were teachers, so I got lucky that I didn't really have to figure out the college stuff by myself. However my parents were very supportive in whatever I chose to do and never forced me to do anything I didn't want to do.
Interviewed By
Sarah
at CSUF
