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From Statistician to Elementary
Education College Professor

Written by Morgan Heywood
Interview with Roxanne Klassen

Roxanne Klassen is mom of 5 kids. She has want to teach this semester. I just taught 2 classes a

adapted her career to fit being mom. Starting out as a semester whenever I felt like it. When my youngest

statistician, Roxanne decided teaching would be more was in 3rd grade they posted a job for one year only.

suitable for the mom life. She has been teaching for Full time, during the day. I tried it for a year to see if I

20 years in both Jr. High and College settings. liked it because I wouldn’t sign a contract and then

Roxanne is currently a math professor at Mesa back out of it. It was exactly what I was doing, just

Community College. more and during the day. Then I did 2 one year only

contracts and then I got hired full time. I started
Q: How did you become interested in teaching? teaching 256/7 5 years after because that person was
A: I never wanted to be a teacher. I had to take an
leaving. My boss approached me and asked if I
education class because I was an RA at college, and wanted those 2 classes and I said “oh yeah!” And I
the people in the department were so stupid. There haven’t given them up since.
was no way I would go into education. I went into

statistics and after a while, I decided to go back to Q: If I remember correctly the way you learn is

school and get my teaching certificate. I got mar- nothing like the way you teach. How did you come

ried and wanted a family, so teaching would work to teach the way you do?

out really well with having kids. A: I never wanted to sit in class. Class was boring. So

Q: What is your teaching history? as a teacher, I couldn’t be that boring teacher because

I’d get bored. I just can’t handle that. I think it started
A: I got my teaching certificate and did my student out to be for me, not the students. I had to figure out
teaching. My mentor teacher
how I could cover the
taught math and science and
material without lecturing
was retiring after that year.
because I can’t. They would
So basically, day one I just
be bored, which would bore
took over. They were hiring
me. I decided to try things
and hired me. So I worked
that I thought would be fun. It
for them for 2 years as an 8th
just so happened that my
grade general math, algebra,
students thought it was fun
and science. I got pregnant
too. Once that started a little
with my oldest son and took
bit, I started researching
a year’s leave of absence
different learning styles and
knowing I was never going
how to reach them. What I
back.
found really important was
I started teaching when my oldest was one. I decided I student engagement. What I found is that I would do
needed something outside the house, so I taught
the math because it was fun, but nobody else would
adjunct 2 nights a week at MCC when my husband do that. I had to really engage them in the math be-
could be home with the kids. I would get pregnant cause if I was the only one doing the math they were
with the next child and just take the next semester off learning nothing. So I had to flip that onto them and
and then they would call me and say what do you
make them struggle, but engage in the math because

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