Heather Edick

Hello! My name is Heather Edick and I became a Trojan when I joined the MAT@USC program in April. I am excited and honored to become a student blogger for the program. I am a career-changer, as are many of my classmates. Since graduating from college in 1993, I have worked as a system operator, an administrative assistant, an office manager, a corporate trainer, and a business analyst. I walked away at that time from my dream to become a college professor. Why, you might ask? Well, I knew that I needed to mature a bit before I could handle graduate school and a PhD program. I did not think it would take 17 years to do that, but apparently it has. Recently, I finished a program to receive a master's in post secondary and adult education. It was an online program, also, and I had a chance to meet people from many different areas of the United States. It was a gratifying, rewarding, and challenging experience. As I was taking one of my last classes, I had an opportunity to work with a high school teacher who has since become a great friend of mine. She lives in South Dakota and teaches in the public schools. We worked on a project together whereby we proposed a plan to integrate culturally responsive teaching into her school. We were specifically addressing the needs of the Lakota students who attended her school, as these students are normally marginalized and often forgotten. From this experience, I learned two things. First, I learned that I wanted to teach at the secondary level. Second, I learned that I wanted to focus on culturally responsive teaching. It has become a passion of mine. If I could, I would teach in a BIA school. Unfortunately, that is not possible in Pennsylvania. I changed my mind about teaching at the college level because I feel I can be more productive and helpful at the high school level. My purpose in life, no matter my job, has been to help people. I feel that I can do that best with high school students and help them to pursue their dreams. As an undergraduate student, I majored in history. Since then, I have gravitated toward teaching English. Again, I believe I can help people more in that role than as a social studies teacher. Two skills are important, no matter what career you pursue: the ability to read and write well. I could teach those skills as a social studies teacher, but I am also interested in exploring literature and cannot do that as easily in a history class. So far, my experience with USC has been wonderful. My classmates are friendly, helpful, and insightful. The staff is very helpful and the professors are excellent. The high school I am working with is fantastic and I know I am going to learn a lot from the teachers, staff, and students there. Once I am finished, I am sure I will have a good foundation on which to start my teaching career. I can't wait to officially enter the profession. It has been 17 years in the making. Fight on!

Posts by Heather Edick