Her Story
About Pam
I've always worked with children, and I got my degree very late in life, after I had already had 3 kids. Prior to having kids and getting married, I couldn't pass an entrance exam into a college, into the Teachers College. Test anxiety - I just couldn't pass it. I took it 8 times. I gave up and ended up getting married and having kids, and September 11th hit. My husband works for an airline, and I was working in a preschool, minimum wage type, and he said we need to do something - you need to do something, because if something happens to his job, we need something else we can fall back on. I ended up going to ASU because they would go back 10 years, and it was right at 9 years, so they took all of my previous credits. I got my bachelor's and my master's at ASU within less than 4 years. I started out as a program mentor, mentoring students as they worked on coursework. I moved into a coaching position where I'm now coaching them on getting prepared to be a certified teacher, getting their required exams done, and going through - we're with them from the time they start with their initial licensure, or if they're in an advanced program, and we make sure that they're hitting all the milestones and not delaying their graduation and certification. I'm with them until they license with their state. My ultimate goal was actually working with adults. I wanted to get my PhD, but since I got my master's and everything so late, I needed to work full-time, and I had 3 kids at home, it was hard to navigate a PhD, and now I have 7 grandchildren. This last year I ended up getting a second master's, which I completed at WGU in 6 months. I now have a learning experience design degree, where I'm hoping that I can take the next step to offering support through virtual learning to adult learners.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Pam
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say stay grounded and empowering. Trust your voice and your perspective. They matter more than you think, and I've learned this a lot through my career. It's easy to question yourself, especially in a high expectation environment, but our experiences bring something valuable. You were hired for a reason. Remember, even if you're having the most terrible day, or you're not getting along with a coworker, or you're not seeing a vision, remember, somebody saw something in you. Always remember that empathy is important, and it's the importance of the action over being perfect. I also believe that there's power in the community, and use that to your advantage. Support other teachers, other women. I believe that the real strength is when you're being lifted up by each other, creating a space for yourself and helping others to emerge as leaders also.
02What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
In higher education, we assume that students should know a lot of stuff because they're adults, but in all actuality, the average adult in higher education is really at an 8th grade reading level. You have to bring it down to a different level for them to understand, even though we think they should be at a higher level. You don't know where they're really at. You have to meet them where they're at, and not everybody is at that high level, so you bring it down to a lower level so you can meet them. That has really inspired me and helped me support the students I work with right now.
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