‘Becoming a teacher seemed like the natural thing’

Stephanie Stover teaches third grade at Harlem Elementary, where she is in her 13th year.

“My husband asked me the other day, ‘At what point did you know that you wanted to be a teacher?’ I can’t remember any defining moment. It just seems like that’s all I ever wanted to be.

“I was that child who at the end of the school year would bring home a big paper bag full of leftover copies of class papers. And I would play school all summer long. I have a pretty large family. I’m the oldest of nine children. So I would be the teacher, and I would give them recess time. Then I would make lunch and call them back in to eat. Being the oldest, I always had a lot of responsibilities anyway. So it put me in that mode of taking care of them. I’ve always been in charge of taking care of kids. Becoming a teacher just seemed like the natural thing to do.

“When students come to me I feel like they’re almost clean slates, and I get to put all this information in them. They have a love of learning. They just soak up everything I give them. I guess that’s what I enjoy the most about teaching. The kids have these big eyes, and they’re so full of wonder. Being able to fill them up with knowledge, it’s a really rewarding experience.”

— Stephanie Stover