Blending a Passion for Language with Creativity and Empathy
Celebrating the Art of Teaching, One Educator at a Time
We’ve been publishing educator stories through our guest blogging program, The Art of Teaching, for nearly eight years. Educators from all over the country (even the world) have shared their perspectives on what makes teaching so deeply fulfilling despite the seemingly never-ending challenges.
We want to pause a moment and celebrate them individually. Every one of these teacher bloggers has unique strengths that make teaching a true art form. We’re sitting down with them to find out what brought them to education and how they refine their practice.
Today, we spoke with Stacey Carter-Lane, a Spanish Teacher with a passion for learning who was recently voted Teacher of the Year by her school’s senior class!
What path did you take to your current role in education?
I took a nontraditional route to teaching. As an undergrad, I majored in newspaper journalism and Spanish. After graduation, I spent a dozen years working in public relations at a few colleges and universities. Around the time that I had my children, I wanted a change. I wanted a job that would help me feel like I was making a difference. I was also looking for more time with my children and less stress. I was foolish enough to think that teaching would be less stressful. My school district offered a resident teacher certification program for teachers in critical needs areas. My Spanish major opened the door for me. And here I am — nineteen years later.
How do you maintain your passion for your profession despite the obstacles?
Maintaining my passion for teaching is not easy. It takes constant effort. In my experience, however, I have found three things to be helpful: 1) surrounding myself with positive people who understand that teaching feels like an around-the-clock job; 2) aiming to learn new things each day, and 3) planning fun activities to do outside of work.
What do you love most about being a language teacher?
I am a nerd at heart. I’m also very verbal. I love writing, reading, and word games. I also love learning new things and being around people who also value learning. Being a language teacher incorporates all of those things and allows me to share them with young learners.
What does the “Art of Teaching” mean to you?
The art of teaching is all about blending a passion for life and academics with creativity and empathy to create learning opportunities.
Stacey Carter-Lane has taught Spanish for nearly two decades. She was recently named Senior Teacher of the Year for 2024 at Hammond High School. Outside of the classroom, she enjoys writing, listening to audiobooks, and practicing self-care.
Read Stacey’s blogs for the Art of Teaching project here:
Follow the conversation #WhyITeach
To be reminded why your work is so very important and for more stories and advice, visit our collection of teacher perspectives at The Art of Teaching.
You can view the McGraw Hill Privacy Policy here: http://www.mheducation.com/privacy.html. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the author, and do not reflect the values or positioning of McGraw Hill or its sales.
