Julie Stremel left an executive level job in business after twenty five years to teach high school math because she wanted to make a difference in her community. She says there are days “when I think I can’t do this anymore. It’s too much work. In business I thought I worked hard but the amount of work I put in for this job? The job in business with three times the salary pales in comparison. It’s a different kind of pressure when the bottom line is the education of children….when it comes to mathematics, what’s inspired me here in my third year here is seeing the kids’ independence and maturity grow…in many ways its a miracle to see so many kids ready to go out into the world. From all different walks of life and challenges outside and inside the school, they succeed and go on and sometimes not succeed and we help them pick themselves back up
She says, “Every day I see a difference. When you get a kid coming back to tell you things are going well, it keeps you going. I just got an email like that. I read it to my husband. He said, ‘You’re going to keep teaching, aren’t you?’ I’m good for another five years.”