Diane McGinnis

I am an MAT@USC student in the May 2010 Cohort. I was born in 1962, which makes me 48 years old, but age is relative; I feel way younger. It took me 30 years to finally get my college diploma. I began college in June of 1980 at a private college in Eastern Washington, Walla Walla College (now Walla Walla University). At the time I began college I had no idea what I wanted to do. I liked to write, so started out as a journalism major. After a few quarters of that, I decided I did not have the desire to work for a newspaper, which at the time seemed to be the only option. I switched to business because my parents kept telling me I should pick a major that would make some money. My dad is a retired accountant, but unfortunately I did not get the math gene. I dropped out of college after two years and began to work as a secretary. After working for a few years, I got married and moved to Nevada where I attended the University of Nevada, Reno as writing major. I had a daughter and moved back to the Portland area. After getting divorced, I came to the decision that I no longer wanted to be a secretary. That “nutshell” comprised over 20 years of my life. My dream to be a high school English teacher did not reveal itself until I was 45. I considered teaching a few times, but it always seemed too distant or unattainable. I do not know if having a child created my passion for teaching. Maybe it was a combination of job dissatisfaction and a mini midlife crisis where I wondered if I could stand to spend the next 20 years doing the same thing without feeling fulfilled. At any rate, leaving my job as a secretary and beginning my “job” as a student teacher was the most satisfaction I can remember having in my entire life.

Posts by Diane McGinnis