Rita’s Transition To Teach

My name is Rita Prior. After many years as a manager, executive coach/trainer, and nonprofit director, I’m pursuing a passion that started as a child. Education is a building block of my family and life. It was the foundation of my ministry as a student pastor, the mission of my career as an Education & Outreach Coordinator at a rape crisis center, and even the purpose of my job as an executive coach and trainer. When the opportunity to become a classroom teacher, AN ENGLISH classroom teacher, was offered, it felt too good to be true.

Could my dream of teaching really become reality? Could I really continue the legacy of my aunt, Mrs. Eliza Turner, my 6th grade teacher, Mr. Jones, my high school teacher, Mrs. Barry, and so many other educators who impacted my life? Yes, it was real! After numerous careers and numerous degrees, I was back in my original path.

While the path to get in the classroom was miraculous, the path to stay in the classroom has proven to be a challenge. As a first year teacher, I immediately felt the decrease in salary I was used to in corporate America. I found myself making lifestyle choices to stay in the field of education but they aren’t enough to fund the required continued education.

I’ve been accepted into the Transition To Teach program at University of Evansville. The program will provide the missing components my previous degrees did not include. The program has to be paid out of pocket as I have maxed out of financial aid after graduating with my last bachelor degrees last year.

I’m trusting that God did not open these doors without a plan to allow me to fully enter the room. I am believing there are people who see my passion, my desire, and my previous works and will invest in me. I am good ground!