I loved my job as an industrial engineer. Working for one of the largest semiconductor manufacturing companies in the world was hugely fulfilling. However, when my husband took a job that moved us across the country, we saw it as an opportunity to start a family, and I took my leave of spreadsheets and capacity modeling.

When it came time to find a school for my children, I started tuning in to the national discussion about the state of education. I was genuinely alarmed at the dire need for science and math educators, and at the same time I was incredibly excited -– because as a person with a strong technical background and a concern for the future of our kids and our country, I had just heard my new calling. It was time to leave the cubicle for the classroom.

The NC STEM Teacher Education Program is a brilliant fit for me. It immerses me in an innovative high school so that I can swim around in the culture and experience being a teacher from the inside out. Most alternative licensure programs toss you into the classroom where you sink or tread water until you learn the strokes, which is incredibly unfair to students. I wanted a more enriching and more meaningful experience. This is why I am so grateful for the year I’ve had at Caldwell Early College High School in Hudson, NC. Having this opportunity to build relationships with students and mentors -– and become a member of the school’s family –- could not have been replicated in any online course or brief placement in a random classroom.

I love that my new job is to bring mathematics and young minds together. And while there is much to be said for constructive struggle in content, I know now that it’s not all about the math. Great teachers invest in relationships to create a shared ownership with students for their success. That is how we build cultures supporting inquiry, rigor and collaboration -– preparing our young people for college, career and life. I am thrilled to be a part of this mission.

Visit my LinkedIn profile.

[This post is the sixth in a series featuring the eight teacher interns in the 2012-13 cohort for NC STEP — the North Carolina STEM Teacher Education Program, an initiative of NC New Schools. These eight interns will complete the program this summer and are seeking teaching positions in North Carolina public schools for fall 2013.]