Many Winds of Change


I remember the day I got hired as a custodian at Artesia Public Schools. Not very many people would have been excited about a job like this, but in a small town like Artesia, New Mexico, it beats working at a grocery store. It was an exciting time for me because I got the opportunity to meet with teachers who had taught me when I was a high school student. I also got the chance to start earning a bachelor’s degree online, and not very many jobs in town would have allowed me to do so at that time.

While pushing a broom in the halls of Artesia High School I would have some time to talk to the teachers and ask them what they liked about their career. Some would be thrilled to tell me the pros and cons. Some would ask if that was what I wanted to do. I didn’t know back in the fall of 2014, but it was on my list of possible careers. Most were positive and I didn’t get very many negative responses. The same could be said when I transferred to Yeso Elementary School after my dad retired in 2015. Things started to change when I moved to Los Lunas, which is near Albuquerque. I got my chance and decided to teach the students at the middle school.