After 13 years, Patricia Evans decided it was time to leave her classroom in Homewood District 153.
“Science can be tough, and eighth grade science can be difficult,” she said, but high school students would come back and tell her thanks for all she taught them.
After 13 years, Patricia Evans decided it was time to leave her classroom in Homewood District 153.
“Science can be tough, and eighth grade science can be difficult,” she said, but high school students would come back and tell her thanks for all she taught them. For example, she has memories of students saying her instruction on balancing equations was invaluable.
As difficult as teaching eighth grade science can be, Evans said teaching offered her something new every day.
“Doing something different all the time made it challenging to get through to them,” she recalled, but when students got a concept, she’d know she’d done a good job.
Evans, of Chicago’s Beverly neighborhood, earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from Southern Illinois University and had a successful career in advertising for many years.
She decided to volunteer at Moraine Valley Community College in a literacy program helping adults learn to read or work on their reading skills. That’s what got her thinking about a career change.
“The volunteering got to me,” she said. “I realized I really like it. That’s how I decided my next move.” She earned a master’s in education at St. Xavier University with an emphasis on science.
She taught a year in a Catholic school and a year in another public school district before coming to Homewood.
“I thought that my skills in advertising sales would cross over to education, but it isn’t for kids. Only one thing (from that) was I had no problem speaking in front of a group. That was easy,” she laughed. “I guess it prepared me to try and sell ‘em. This (science) is important! Yes, you do need this!”
Her stress on the importance of science became even more difficult when schools were forced to move to online learning in March. She quickly realized students weren’t able to spend hours a day in front of computers doing work.
“You’re trying to make it interesting, but we did scale it down,” she said.
Travel in retirement is on hold, but Evans said she’ll appreciate having time for book club and her garden will be beautiful this year.
She doesn’t intend to give up teaching. “I will substitute because I do like the classroom,” Evans said.