Who Inspired You to Become an Educator?

Tracy Erickson
6th grade math teacher
River Ridge Middle School
New Port Richey, Florida

Broke and broken. That’s how I felt the day I knocked on Doug Brumbaugh’s door. I knew he would answer….he always did. Dr. Brumbaugh was a professor at UCF where I was pursuing a computer science degree, and he was also my advisor. I’m sure I was not the first, nor will I be the last, downtrodden college student to ever enter his office. He listened intently as I explained, with tears streaming down my face, that my time as an undergraduate was over. I was quitting school.

I grew up in a small town in Kansas. A REALLY small town — population 500, give or take a few babies now and then. I worked at my parents’ newspaper office, excelled in school and graduated Salutatorian of my class, number 2 of 21. I got an academic scholarship to Kansas State University, and was voted Most Likely to Succeed by my peers. My senior year, I was the teacher’s assistant for the guidance counselor, and she had THE ONLY computer in town, a Radio Shack TRS-80 that she used to set out in the hallway during basketball games, because nobody in White City had ever seen one before. In my spare time, I read in the direction booklet how to write a simple program that the kindergartners used to add single digit numbers. IF they got one right, THEN the computer showed a smiley face and applause rang out. IF they got one wrong, THEN a sad face appeared and the computer buzzed its disapproval. Mrs. McKellar thought I was a genius and encouraged me to go to college and major in computer science because, “that’s where the money was.”

After graduation, I declined my scholarship to K-State and moved to Florida to live with my older sister and attend UCF, because Mrs. McKellar said they had a great Computer Science program. I didn’t realize you had to apply ahead of time. I just walked up to the registrar and announced, “I’m Tracy Mahon from Kansas, and I’d like to go to this school and major in Computer Science.” They said I had to take a math placement test and asked if I had taken Calculus in high school. I presented my transcript, and explained that our school didn’t offer it. I took the test, and, of course, didn’t score high enough to get in to the Computer Science Department at UCF. They suggested that I enroll in community college, and come back in 2 years with my AA degree, and they would have to take me, no matter how unprepared I was……

I worked hard at Valencia, made straight A’s, and two years later returned to UCF, determined to get that degree in Computer Science and make good money, just like Mrs. McKellar said I would. I was so excited for my first real programming class! On the first day, the Graduate Instructor greeted us with this: “You do realize that if you major in Computer Science, it will be you and a machine in a cubicle in the basement of some office building for the rest of your life…..” I seriously began to question my decision.

I enrolled in Calculus 1, taught by Dr. Brumbaugh, along with several other equally challenging courses, including Physics, which I had never even heard of. On my first Physics test, I got a 12. I was devastated. I dropped the class, and concentrated on Calculus 1, which I barely passed, even with a tutor that I couldn’t afford. The next semester, I tried Physics again. On the first test, I got a 25. That was the day I went to see Dr. Brumbaugh.

“I can’t do it. I’ll never pass Physics.” I wiped my tears and continued, “My parents don’t have enough money to support me for much longer, and to be honest, I don’t even think I would like a job with computers anyway.”

Dr. Brumbaugh pulled up my transcript and smiled. “You have so many math credits! Have you ever considered being a math teacher?” I thought of my current Calculus grade and laughed. “Um…..no.” He said that he had seen “teacher qualities” in me in his classes, and he promised that a degree in Secondary Math Education would guarantee me a job. He also said he would help me pass Calculus, and he did. He found me a free tutor (I think he paid her himself), and I passed on my second try. I did my internship in a 7th grade classroom and fell in love with everything about my job.

I attended a career fair that semester and got the first position I interviewed for. I have been teaching middle school math ever since. I am right where I should have been all along. I’m just so thankful that Dr. Brumbaugh saw the qualities in me that I couldn’t see in myself, and so thankful for his help and his encouragement. I often see my students struggling in math, and I think back to my own struggle and how Dr. Brumbaugh’s belief in me kept me from giving up. I hope that I can be the teacher that always believes in her students and always looks for the qualities in them that they, themselves, cannot recognize. Thank you, Dr. Brumbaugh for making a difference in my life, so I can make a difference in theirs.