Meet the Teacher: ‘Career-switcher’ found her true calling in the classroom

JACKSON COUNTY, MI -- Amy King’s working life took her across several states and professions until she found her true place as a math teacher.

King, 51, currently teaches math to sixth graders at Paragon Charter Academy in Jackson. This marks her fifth year with the academy and 13th year overall in education.

Coming from a family that includes several grandparents, aunts and uncles who worked as teachers, King initially pursued other careers after majoring in science. However, she quickly discovered that working in a lab was not her true calling.

Graduating from Ohio State University in 1994 with a degree in history and minor in microbiology, King worked in sales and marketing for 14 years before becoming a “career-switcher.” She said she felt the urge to get into teaching but held off for a few years in lieu of taking care of her own young children.

After she was able to go back to school and get credentialed, King taught preschool in her home state of Indiana for about four years before coming to Michigan after her husband got a job with Jackson’s Alro Steel in 2015.

King taught high school math and science support in the Chelsea School District for several years before coming to Paragon just months before the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

King sat down with MLive/Jackson Citizen Patriot to discuss her love and passion for helping kids learn math, and the adaptability and dedication it’s taken her to be able to do it for a living.

Jackson Citizen Patriot: Was there a specific moment or experience that inspired you to get into the field of education?

Amy King: I have several family members who are in education, and because of that I initially wanted to do something different. Once I graduated from college and I started working in business, it was not fulfilling at all, and I just felt a call to work with kids. That started in my 20s. I knew at some point I was going to do that, it was just a matter of when.

JCP: Why was teaching in the field you’re currently in such a calling for you?

King: I started (at Paragon teaching) fourth grade, and this math job opened up. I love math - my greatest passion is teaching math and helping kids see that math isn’t so scary, and that they can do it.

JCP: What is your favorite aspect of your job?

King: Working with kids and helping them build academic confidence.

JCP: The field of education has evolved in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic -- it what ways, if any, have you changed and evolved as a teacher in the past couple of years?

King: There’s always been a large gap in skill (for new students), but that gap has widened based on how supported they were during COVID, so the learning loss is real. I’ve tried different things to help them gain those skills quicker. I have white boards all around the room for “rich thinking tasks” that should be accessible for any kids to at least start the task. That is method I researched and went to training. Its a very different method of teaching than what I had done before. It comes from (the book) “Building Thinking Classrooms.” Kids can hide - when they don’t want to do anything, they can hide at their desks - but with the tasks they’re kind of exposed. As I get them comfortable with working with groups and working with the boards and saying their ideas are valid, then they become more and more involved in the problem-solving. It’s made a positive impact by involved 100% of the kids, and helping them believe that they can do hard things even if they might not have the skills - they can still contribute to solving a problem.

JCP: Is there a specific moment from your career so far that you would consider to be the most rewarding?

King: The small “Aha!” moments that I see in kids. There’s always a kid that comes to me at the beginning of the year and tells me “I hate math,” and then as the progresses, they become more comfortable with it and by the time they leave - they might not love it - but it’s not so horrible to come sit in a math classroom. Just seeing them go “Oh, I get it!” - that’s the best. Also, I really love the relationships that I build with students. I love being with younger people, so that also is extremely rewarding, just day-to-day knowing I’m building relationships with kids - I’m building trust with them.

If you know a K-12 educator in Jackson or Washtenaw counties who might make a good subject for the weekly “Meet the Teacher” series, send an email with their contact information to mkukulka@mlive.com.

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