Laurie Breslin didn’t want to reject her first teaching job opportunity in Manatee County back in the early 2000s. Her mom and two siblings were in education, and she graduated from Manatee High in 1995. Also, having not majored in education in college — her degree from the University of Florida in 1999 was in public relations — Breslin wanted to get going on her career and gain some experience.
The problem? The offer that came Breslin’s way was to be a long-term sub for the year in … physical education at Southeast High School. “That was really funny,” says Breslin, looking back at the role some 25 years later, “because I have not a single athletic bone in my body.”
So Breslin initially told the principal, “‘I’m not your person. I don’t know how to play sports.’ And he said, ‘You’re dependable. You’re good with the students. I think you are my person.’”…