Cindi Rigsbee is inspired by the maturity of a group of high school juniors she recently met who, as participants in grow-your-own programs, are already on career paths to teaching. A lot, she reflects, has changed since she was that age:
I think back on my junior year...I made a 3 on an Algebra test (out of 100), I broke my nose on the school bus, I "forgot" about my history report because I had to cheer at a basketball game (with a "mask" on my nose,) I went to the prom with my sister's future husband, and he barely said three words (okay, so he talks now), but mostly I remember that college, not to mention my career, were light years away.
Well, she apparently made up ground pretty quickly, since she was actually just named North Carolina’s Teacher of the Year. Congrats.