Sharon Drake:  

After graduating in 1967, I left for Logan to go to college. I couldn't decide what I wanted to major in, so I tried a little bit of everything. I have to admit that it became more of a social education. I had tons of fun, but quit in 1972 to work and save money while my fiance finished his final year up there. Things didn't work out (my fault). Spent next 8 years working in the financial dept at the church office bldg. Did everything from data entry to being a supervisor. In 1981, a very good friend and mentor told me I was wasting my real gifts and talents in that daily grind. She told me about a new program at the U of U in special education teaching kids with medium to severe behavioral problems. I wanted to wait until I got my car paid off, but she rushed me up to the registration office, filled out some financial aid papers, and got me enrolled for the fall of that year. I loved my education this time around. I couldn't wait to start teaching. But it was a 5 year program consisting of a 4 year bachelor's + 1 year of graduate classes specifically geared to my area of focus, Severely Behaviorally Disordered--in other words, the kids whose classroom behavior was soooo bad they had to be placed in a self-contained classroom. It was their last chance to stay in the public school system. In 1986, I got my first contract teaching 6th grade at the same school as my friend and mentor who encouraged me to become a teacher. She taught the 5th grade special ed class. We were able to team teach and group the 5th and 6th graders according to ability level--anywhere from kindergarten level in one case to Junior High level with the brightest of our students. Unfortunately, after only 3 years of working together, my friend died of cancer just 5 days before the 1989 school year. I took all of her students into my class to help them work through the l...Expand for more