Andrea Carpenter, seventh grade science

Q: What school did you teach at or college did you attend before GCAA?

A: I went to college at the University of Arkansas in Pine Bluff. That’s in Pine Bluff, Arkansas and I went to that school for five in a half years. I got my bachelor’s degree in biology pre-medicine.

Q: What do you expect to get out of your students this school year?

A: I expect to build long lasting relationships with my students so that I can encourage them, to motivate them to go to college in being successful in life in all areas; mentally, physically, emotionally and to just be able to teach the next generation.

Q: Did you always want to be a teacher?

A: I started off wanting to be a doctor. Well really at first I wanted to be a nurse practitioner and then I talked to my cousin who is a doctor and he said “Well why don’t you got all the way?” In so then I changed my mind in said I want to be a doctor. Then I went to a conference called Marshall Fund Institute my junior year of college in Washington DC. There was some teaching for American teachers there. They were interviewing people and I wanted to do education. I started gearing more towards that, because they started talking about ending education inequity and helping the youth. It really drew my attention in so from then on I just wanted to teach. I still want to be a doctor that’s in the near future, but I love teaching and I love education.