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Can you tell us about yourself? 

"Hi, I am Brittany Marquez and I'm at Damonte Ranch High School. I teach social resource, um, which is kids who sometimes need academic support but more often they just need social support. Um, we are in Reno, Nevada and this is actually my first year here, um, at the high school. I was at an elementary school before that." 

Why did you start a career in education?

"I started my career, I started my career with kids. I've always been the babysitting and then I work with some special needs kids. And then I was an assistant for kindergarten and I did after school program just kind of worked my way up. I like, I always worked with kids and I like working with kids who have something unique about them."  

If you could have any other job what would it be and why?

"Um, if I could have any other job. Okay. So like my retirement goal would be to like work at the um, aquarium in Atlanta, Georgia cause they have a super cool program there and like they help veterans swim with whale sharks, which I think is awesome. I got to swim with whale sharks a couple summers ago and it was pretty amazing." 

How are kids different now than 30 years ago?

"How are kids different now than 30 years ago? I dunno, everybody always says that kids are different. Right? It always got electronics, but at the end of the day, like they're not, it's whatever's going to amuse them. It's their phone. Now we wrote notes. Mmm. No, I dunno. Just not that much different." 

How is teaching different now than 30 years ago?

"Is teaching different than 30 years ago? I think it'd be easier to answer if I was teaching 30 years ago. I don't know, cause I wasn't ever like the kid that was in trouble I guess. Mmm. I guess. So in my brain it wasn't that different. I don't remember taking 4 million tests like these kids do. And I mean, I do remember like the act, but still, that was like 10 years ago, so I'm not sure. What I hear is that it's testing and I definitely feel that now. I said it's testing. Um, but in my class it's a little bit different. It's not like the other ones. So like they're super fast paced. I have to stick to a schedule. And the great part about what I teach is that it's the kids that that hasn't worked for. And so we do stop and we do go over it and I am in a one on one to help you and if we need to watch a video about it we will and if we, you know what I mean? Like, so I kind of feel like I get to help in the gaps that the fast pace in the testing I've kind of left some kids behind." 

What would you tell someone who wants to become a teacher?

"Um, what would you tell someone right now that is thinking about becoming a teacher? I don't, I guess the latest thing that I learned was about being national board certified, which I am not, but then it can bump up your pay like an extra 400 bucks and then the SLA, I understand that pay is low, but like I also have another job that I love that I work when I'm not here and so it really inspires me as a teacher. So don't feel like locked into where you can't do something else. Like I explore your interest in your time off and it kind of reenergizes you. I guess it's hard, but I mean you got to do something to get yourself back in there again. So still pursue your interest." 

What is one thing you would change to help kids learn better?

"What is the one thing you would change to help kids learn better? I want more hands on stuff I guess. So I get to work at a museum when I'm not at school and that's all we do is like hands on stuff. So I mean, science, it's like they have a packet and there's like, we have computers, which are amazing, but like I want to have plants in the class. I wish we had pet chickens. Like I, there's just a different element. It comes from touching what you're working with. You know what I mean? That kids need that. You can listen to it, you can see it, you can write a packet about it. But until you are really able to make a DNA model or test your blood or do that extra step like it's, it doesn't really bring it home for everybody. And those are my seven questions. Have a great day. Bye."