It’s weird enough imagining a teacher outside of school, but teachers having whole other lives outside of Whitman, complete with other jobs? For most, it’s so weird that it’s hard to picture. But in reality, there are plenty of teachers who have professional pasts outside of Whitman. Here’s a look at some of the interesting jobs and activities teachers prior to working here.

Engineering teacher Rachel Stender: Air Force Reserves, Civil Engineer

You’ve probably heard your IED teacher tell you that this “definitely applies to real life!” For engineering teacher Rachel Stender, it did. Before coming to Whitman, she worked as a civil engineer for the Air Force Reserves.

Stender never pictured herself teaching, she said, but she eventually switched professions in order to spend more time with her family. By the time her youngest son was two, Stender said she was ready to get back to working in engineering. She said that teaching would allow her to return to work without taking too much time away from her family.

For Stender, the major differences between the two jobs makes them difficult to compare.

“They’re both different,” Stender said. “I like that on a daily basis, I’m impacting the future of our society. It’s nice to know that I’m making a meaningful difference every day.”

Biology teacher Colleen Roots: Veterinary Technician

Most freshman zone out in bio when the teacher describes the different traits that animals have as a result of adaptation. Biology teacher Colleen Roots was different. Not only was she paying attention, but she also eventually put what she learned to use as a veterinary technician, which shares many of the requirements of hospital and pediatric nurses.

Roots enjoyed the constantly changing requirements of her job as a vet tech, like drawing blood, preparing animals for surgery, and giving shots.

“It was great working with animals all the time,” Roots said. “Overall it was very exciting and very entertaining. There was always something interesting going on.”

After a while, though, Roots was ready for a change. After completing a teaching program at Johns Hopkins University, she began teaching at John F. Kennedy High School in Wheaton, then at James H. Blake High School in Colesville, before joining Whitman this school year.

Her veterinary background made teaching biology the obvious choice.

“I’d always been interested in biology, so it was easy to decide what to teach,” Roots said.

Counselor Shalewa Hardaway: College Bound Foundation

Applying college is stressful enough without being an underprivileged first-generation college student. Most Whitman students are lucky enough not to have to worry about it, but unfortunately for many, that’s not reality.

Prior to joining the Whitman counseling department this year, counselor Shalewa Hardaway spent time working for the College Bound Foundation, a nonprofit that aims to foster a “college-going culture” in underprivileged areas. The organization works with disadvantaged students and first-generation college students to help them with the college application process.

“We supported them with applying to college, we assisted them with completing financial aid forms, and helped them with scholarships,” Hardaway said. “We were trying to help and assist with the whole college process.”

Although Hardaway enjoyed working with College Bound, she started working at a high school in Baltimore, saying she was ready for a change. When the position at Whitman opened up, she said that she knew it would be a good fit for her personally and career-wise.

“I’m really excited to be here,” Hardaway said. “I really enjoy working with the students.”

Crazy as it might seem, teachers do have lives outside of Whitman, and some of them have even done some pretty interesting things. So next time you freak out about seeing a teacher outside of school, you might want to reserve your judgement. After all, you never know.