Mrs. Tague has had a long journey to becoming a teacher. She’s very committed to being a teacher and loves all her students. I wanted to ask Mrs. Tague a little more about herself and where she started.
How long have you been teaching?
“This is my fifth year teaching at Santaluces and in general. I came from a different career before teaching. I came from working for the local government. I was a planning manager at the Palm Beach County Division of Emergency Management, which is a department that helps plan for and set up preventative measures for emergencies. It can be anything from hurricanes, radiological incidents, etc.”
Why did you decide to leave?
“A lot of people ask that because it was a very lucrative job, so I was making more money. But, I was really busy. I was working all the time. I was on-call a lot so there would be nights when I would get phone calls at 2 am, and I wanted a better environment to start a family. I actually called Mrs.Schroader who teaches debate and English. She was my 6th grade English teacher. She helped me make some connections and get over here”
What school did you study in Florida?
“I got my Bachelors degree at Warner University and then my Masters at Nova Southeastern.”
How does it feel being a coworker with your old teachers?
“Mrs. Moe, the media specialist was actually my old teacher, too. She was my English teacher in 8th grade. It’s great, I love it. I love working with them(Mrs.Moe and Mrs.Schroader); they’re amazing educators. Both of them really truly symbolize what a good teacher is. They care about their professionalism, they’re just good people and they’re really good teachers. I love working with them. It makes me feel safe to know they’re nearby.”
How was it having a baby during the pandemic?
“I had him right before it started. I was kind of lucky; he was born February 16, and I think everything went downhill in March. It was isolating at first being a newborn mom and not being able to go anywhere or having anyone over because I was being so cautious,” she said. “It was difficult. I think we truly were resilient people. We learned a lot from it. Now, I’m pregnant again and I’m being extra cautious and trying to do the best we can with what we have going on right now.”
Are you reading any books currently?
“I’m reading a book called Hunt Gather Parent. It’s about an anthropologist. She’s studying these ancient cultures to see how they parent their kids because their kids are like tremendous, resilient, helpful, wonderful kids and she visits 3 different cultures and communities that aren’t western.”
“I’m hoping that I can incorporate that into my parenting. I want to get as much information as I can and my husband is the same way; he like to read studies. So we’re just trying to compromise and come together how we want to raise him.”
What is your favorite book?
“I really love the Giver by Lois Lowry. I do like The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe series by C.S. Lewis.”
“C.S. Lewis is my favorite author. I like non-fiction books sometimes more than fiction. I like self help books and things like that. I’m always reading different books about nutrition, habit forming, mental health, and self care.”
What would be something surprising the someone would learn about you?
“I used to sing Italian opera in college. I took private voice lessons in college. I signed up for choir. I actually earned money doing it towards my schooling, towards my tuition.”
How did you get into opera?
“I always sung in church growing up and liked it. I liked the community, and then when I was in high school, I tried out for this prestigious choir that my church around the country had to try out for. So, I tried out for this choir and band and I ended up making it three times.”
“We traveled in the summers and sang in different churches. It was just a really good experience. When I got to college, they told me, ‘Well, you should sing. You should look into other ways to make some extra money for your tuition.’ My tuition was very expensive and I told them, ‘Well I need lessons because I’ve never been formally trained’ and next thing you know, I was singing.”
What is your favorite sports team?
“I’m not a big sports fan, I will admit, but I always say the Miami Dolphins because that was my grandpa’s favorite team and he passed away. My dad likes them too.”
