Tamara Gathright

My road to teaching began with a single teacher, and I know you’re expecting the heartfelt inspirational story to follow, but this isn’t that story. This teacher’s approach left students discouraged and defeated, and her punitive teaching style hid behind words like high expectations and rigor. Now, over the years I had excellent teachers, mediocre teachers, boring teachers, creative teachers, apathetic teachers, and loving teachers, and in that broad mix of them all, she is the only one I ever disliked. She is the reason I became a teacher.

This teacher taught me that teaching is not just about passion for the subject you teach. It’s not about gatekeeping and tending only to those with like-minded abilities. Teaching is about loving people first—then sharing with them the wonders of the subject matter. It’s about valuing a person, valuing the subject matter, then using that relationship to generate a spark—a spark that can someday become a fire when needed or wanted.

She taught me the lesson; then God provided the truth of it:

1 Corinthians 13:2 — “If I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so that I can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.”

That’s where my path began, and it led me to teaching English Language Arts, Pre-AP English Language Arts, Creative Writing, and assisting with Theatre Arts productions. From the classroom, I transitioned to the district office, where I oversaw the K–12 Gifted and Talented Program as the district’s Gifted and Talented Facilitator. While there, I created and presented districtwide teacher trainings, collaborated with teachers on curriculum design, and planned enrichment opportunities for gifted students across the district.

When my children came along, I left my dream job to begin facilitating their dreams. Today, I’m still facilitating my children’s dreams, but the path has forked, leading me to Buckner Fanning School at Mission Springs, where I have the privilege of helping a new generation of students discover the power of words, stories, and ideas—and the dream begins anew.