Staff Lore- The Origin of Dreams

Along with all of us, our staff have stories, and many have had other careers in mind. Most of the time, we wouldn’t think about the dreams they had before coming here, to teach us ultimately. I had the honor of interviewing many staff members and teachers to find out what I call “the origin of dreams.” 

Mr. Murphey- I lived my dream of touring with my dad’s band (country western and pop artist Michael Martin Murphey) as his lead guitarist and band leader for many years. I then moved to Nashville and wrote for various publishers like the Orbison company. During those years, I played on countless recording sessions and produced many albums and demos. I was then nominated for a Grammy in 2010! At a certain point, I wanted to pay it forward and work with younger writers and musicians, so I went to graduate school and started teaching 

Mrs. DuBois- Before I became an educator, I dreamed of being a modern dancer, and then an FBI agent, and then a lawyer. I even took the LSAT and interned in Washington, DC, for a summer for a congressman. I quickly discovered I disliked real-life politics and rediscovered poetry, a true love since elementary school. Creative writing is where my heart lives, whether actively writing or teaching writing and working at an arts high school allows me to indulge both. 

Mr. Wade- Yes, I definitely had another career in mind. I had planned to become a forensic pathologist (performing autopsies on dead bodies to solve crimes) or become a surgeon. Nothing really terminated my passion for those, except maybe the daunting task of a decade in medical school which would be added onto four years of college. It was more a special calling that I followed. Once I started attending college, I realized my focus should be on my greatest intellectual strength, mathematics. And I could have made much more money as a mathematician than a teacher. But my destiny was to make less money and inspire far more people, young people in need of solid mathematics teaching. It was only after graduating from college and roughly halfway through my master's degree in math that I realized my calling was to become a high school math teacher, and specifically a high school calculus teacher. I had been tutoring freshmen calculus students at the University of Tennessee while in graduate school, and they indicated that I made calculus much easier than any other teacher they ever had. I knew there was a dramatic need for qualified high school math teachers, positions that are difficult to fill and in high demand. There aren't nearly enough qualified math teachers in the United States, especially  when it comes to upper-level subjects like precalculus and calculus. So it wasn't anything that thwarted my passion for medical work. It was more of a logical choice to pursue a higher cause, something desperately needed in an area in which I had a talent. 

Mr. Stinson- Before becoming an educator, I wanted to work in the music business. I wanted to be an A&R guy (In the music industry, "A&R" stands for Artists & Repertoire, and it refers to the department or individuals within a record label responsible for signing new artists and managing the creative aspects of their music). But the nature of the industry was changing as I was trying to get into it and it ultimately didn't work out. I was able to work in music publishing for a few years but it was boring me to death. 

Mr. Z- When I was younger, I moved to California to try and change  the world (not sure how...but I wanted to make a difference). Instead, I ended up running Grocery Stores and Restaurants. After doing this for 30 years, I still wanted to make a impact on this turbulent world, and selling chicken, eggs, and milk wasn’t meeting my needs. So, high school teacher is filling that void for now...

Mr. Rehn- Growing up, I wanted to be an Astronaut because I wanted to reach the greatest frontier of mankind’s discoveries.  It never happened because I developed a greater than average height, a less than stellar eyesight, and don’t get me started on my motion sickness. 

Ms. Venable- My original career path was to be an athletic trainer.  I changed paths after my freshman year in college when I realized it was more time doing paperwork then actually helping athletes.  I got into education to be a coach and have since retired from coaching.  But all of these occupations have a common thread of helping young people. 

Ms. Carella- I wanted to be a famous actress or a newscaster. I didn't become a newscaster because I didn't want to wake up that early in the morning for the morning news. And I didn't become a famous actress because I'm not that good at acting.