Hope Holcomb didn’t grow up wanting to be a teacher.
She didn’t even know what she wanted to do until she considered pre-law. But working after school changed Holcomb’s course. Ultimately, she decided to trade the courtroom for the classroom. She is now a first-year teacher at Murfreesboro City Schools — the same district she went to throughout her childhood.
Listen to Hope talk about her love for teaching in the player above.
“I had to go back to education,” she said. “I knew I would be my happiest in a classroom.”
This year, she is one of 130 new teachers in the kindergarten through sixth-grade district. Together, they spent two days at Middle Tennessee State University learning the ropes while the district did its final cleaning of classrooms.
Holcomb — who will teach fourth grade — said she thought of her own teacher from that age. She said she wanted to emulate her style and engagement, one that kept her excited to come back to school every day.
“We enjoy the ‘aha’ moments,” Holcomb said. “We enjoy being the light. They light our lives. It’s very exciting to teach.”