Hi everyone! My name is Heather Glover, and I’m part of the September 2009 cohort of the MAT@USC. While I’m very passionate about education, I can’t say that I’ve always seen myself in the classroom. In fact, as a child, I wanted to grow up and become anything except a teacher.
My view of teaching began to change after my sophomore year at Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, Georgia, where I majored in English. That summer, I became a tutor at the university’s Writing Center, offering one-on-one assistance and occasionally teaching informal grammar courses for large groups. A year later, I continued in that position while leading a summer creative writing workshop for inner-city teens. Both jobs allowed me to help students of various ages develop their writing skills, and both made me realize how much I enjoy working with students to create meaningful learning experiences.
Unfortunately, the time I spent as a long-term substitute teacher after graduation made me second-guess my desire to become an educator. I didn’t expect subbing to be exactly like working with college students or aspiring young writers, yet I certainly wasn’t prepared for what I encountered in the two public schools I entered. I saw students who had to practice for standardized tests so often that they slept for most of the testing sessions after bubbling patterns on their answer sheets. I overheard teachers say things like “That’s just why you’re not ever going to be anything but a janitor. I should make you sweep the floor like the nothing you are.”
I knew that if I had any chance to give students the education they deserve—particularly underserved students in urban areas like Atlanta, where I now live—I needed a program that would focus on eliminating social barriers as well as training me to teach subject matter. That’s why I chose the MAT@USC. I am on the Multiple Subject track and I hope to become an elementary ESOL teacher and help push the state of Georgia into offering quality bilingual instruction by teachers qualified to teach both language and content. Eventually, I’d also like to work as an adjunct professor—college students need great instructors, too!
I’m happy to be a part of the Trojan family, and I look forward to working and talking with you in the coming months!
