Alumni Story

Sometimes you have to step away from something you love to be reminded how much/why you love it.”

Brittany McGee’s journey to becoming a teacher was not always straightforward. It had its twists and turns.

She first realized she wanted to pursue a career in education when she was in high school. She wanted to become a Special Education teacher. “I felt connected to students with special needs,” she said.

So, after high school, Brittany began her journey to education at East Carolina University in the fall of 2016. But something didn’t feel right. “I was very anxious and had a strange feeling that I was not where I was supposed to be. I now know that it was the Lord telling me that I, in fact, was not where I was meant to be. I ended up coming home to Salisbury after 2 weeks at ECU and took online classes in the Spring of 2017 with RCCC so I wouldn’t fall behind.”

After coming home from ECU, Catawba College caught Brittany’s eye. “It was in my hometown, close to my family and a smaller college community. I felt pulled to the campus and started there in Fall of 2017.” She quickly fell in love with the education department at Catawba once she realized how much she enjoyed learning in her classes.

She then changed directions when she decided she wanted to pursue a major in General Education. She said, “I fell in love with the teaching aspect rather than the pull to only students with special needs.”

Brittany says there is one person who stands out to her as someone who helped her along the way. “Dr. Creamer specifically shaped my time at Catawba and made my desire to teach even stronger. She was clearly passionate about what she does and is incredibly knowledgeable in the education field,” she said.

She added, “She also knew when to push me to do better, when we both knew I might have been slacking off (maybe she knew me too well LOL). I owe much of my success in my teaching career to Catawba College and everything I learned while I was there.”

Those lessons stayed with her as she took her first steps into the classroom following graduation.

She began her career at West Rowan Elementary in Cleveland and taught there for 3 years after graduating from Catawba. “I loved my career, and I loved my school. After 2 years, I switched from 2nd grade to 4th grade and that came with many changes and challenges. I think people in professions outside of education do not usually realize the unique struggles we face every day as teachers and the weight of that started getting heavy,” she said.

Over time, those challenges began to outweigh the joy she once felt in the classroom.

“I felt the list of never-ending to-dos beginning to distract me from my love of teaching. I was overwhelmed with the negatives of the job and decided that I had never taken the time to explore other career paths.”

Brittany began looking for other jobs that she felt would fulfill her desire to help others while also allowing her to try new things. She decided to leave teaching in 2023 and became an Account Manager at State Farm in Kannapolis, NC. She said, “I felt that there was no better time to try something new, as I was still young (25) and would always have my teaching degree if I decided to return. It was a “why not” moment for me. Sometimes you have to step away from something you love to be reminded how much/why you love it.”

Although her time at State Farm allowed her to grow in new ways, one unexpected moment revealed where her heart—and calling—still belonged.

“I remember vividly at my job at State Farm, I was training a new hire and was walking her through her first auto insurance sale. She did not have access to the system yet, so she was working under my account and on my computer. She was sitting in my seat, and I was standing behind her showing her step-by-step what to do and how to make changes to ensure the policy would be sent to underwriting with no issues. In that moment, I realized that I enjoyed showing this new employee how to make a sale much more than I enjoyed making the sale myself. I was thrilled to see how excited she was when she finished the sale, and it made my heart warm knowing I helped her get one step closer to success,” Brittany said.

In that realization, Brittany found the clarity she needed to take the next step back toward teaching. She said, “I had already considered going back to the classroom, but this solidified it for me.”

Once that decision was clear, Brittany knew exactly where to begin.

“My mom worked in the office at Rockwell Elementary at the time and had been there for 12 years prior. I had heard her share how much she loved her school and principal for years and decided to reach out to Mrs. Warden (principal at RES at the time) about any future job openings. Of course, I had the inside scoop and there were rumors of a teacher retiring at the end of the year, so I wanted Mrs. Warden to keep me in mind. I ended up interviewing at Rockwell in April of 2024 for a position in either 1st or 3rd grade. By the end of the day, I was offered a position in 3rd grade at RES.”

She said, “Since accepting and working there for 1 1/2 years, I am certain that I am where I am meant to be. The atmosphere at Rockwell Elementary is unmatched. The teachers are fun, exciting, nice, and are driven to be excellent. My team is supportive, fun, and wonderful. I have learned so much since starting at Rockwell and am thankful for a group of people who support me and work hard to keep the negatives and the weight of all the extra “stuff” from clouding our minds. Being with a group of people who walk in their purpose and intentionally see the positives of a situation makes all the difference. I know that Rockwell was an answered prayer without a shadow of a doubt.”

Since returning to the classroom, Brittany’s perspective has completely changed.

She said, “Since returning to teaching, I’ve been able to see things more clearly. I’ve learned that every career and workplace has its fair share of “extra stuff” and negatives. I remind myself daily that my passion is teaching, and I intentionally find joy in what I do each day, no matter what type of day it’s been.”

She added, “At the end of the day, the students are what matters and everything else can wait. I work hard to teach my students on their level and be an inspiring, fun and engaging teacher so that they can be successful. I find joy in teaching so that my students can find joy in learning, and I believe that kids can’t learn from someone who doesn’t make them feel safe, loved, and supported. I still get the same feeling of warmness in my heart when one of my students succeeds at something, as I did when my coworker at State Farm succeeded. Teaching is one of the most important careers there is, and I am blessed to be able to shape young minds.”

While Brittany knows she made the right choice to come back to teaching, her advice to other educators who may be considering leaving the profession is to do it!

“I would not be where I am today if I had not left the profession and tried something new. I am grateful for each experience I have had and learned from them,” she said.

She continued, “There is no way to know if something is for you, if you don’t try it. At the end of the day, we must go where the Lord calls us, and sometimes that requires trial and error. I compare this to my journey at ECU and with teaching. At ECU, it turned out that stepping away and doing something different was, in fact, the right choice, and I would not be where I am today without making that decision. Leaving teaching showed me that I am meant to be a teacher and gave me a renewed sense of purpose. Like I said above, sometimes you must step away from something to remember why you love it. Essentially, my advice is: you never know until you try it.”

While she supports educators who are considering stepping away from the profession, she also encourages them to persevere and give it time.

“However, to future educators, I encourage you to stick with it for a while. Your first year will be hard, and you will still be finding yourself as an educator, but it will be worth it. Do not let the “extra” weigh you down and steal your joy. Have fun with it and channel your inner kid- there’s no better place to do that,” she said.