I have enjoyed teaching since my late teens when I began tutoring younger friends. Over the years, I have taught from 5th grades to high school English. I would like the opportunity to continue teaching. During my college years, I taught in a community-based GED program for adults. After graduation, I did substitute teaching on the high school level before teaching 9th and 10th grade English full time. In 2 years I married. I became involved in the education of my three children for the next several years. When the kids were older, I began teaching on the elementary level, English in middle school and self-contained 5th grades. In mid-life, because I had come to know teens and adults with alcohol and drug, I decided to become an addiction counselor. I got a Masters in Counseling at the University of North Texas in Denton. My first job in this field was at a treatment center for teens (13-18). I was hired as a teacher and a counselor. I would get the students' assignments from their schools and work with each individually. School was in the morning and counseling was in the afternoon. This was challenging because the students were behind in their work due to their drug use. But it was most gratifying to see the recovering teens return to their homes and community. Helping hundreds of children to love learning has been my life's goal, and one I worked hard to achieve. This is why I wish to continue tutoring.