#WhyIChoseEducation: Dr. Allison Ormond

As part of Celebrating 90 Years of NC State Education, we asked you to share your stories of why you chose education and why you love the NC State College of Education. Below is one of the many stories we received demonstrating how we’re leading the way in education in North Carolina and beyond.

Name: Dr. Allison Ormond
Graduation Year: 1988
Program: Middle Grades Education, Dual Certification in ELA & SS
Career Role & Responsibilities: Currently, I am the AIG Lead Teacher for Rockingham County Schools. I am responsible for maintaining and implementing the Academically and/or Intellectually Gifted program in our district. Also, I am the Secondary ELA Lead for the district, providing professional development and creating curriculum, assessment, and instruction resources for our ELA teachers. I was the 2004 North Carolina Teacher of the Year, and I am a National Board Certified Teacher.

Why did you enter the field of education?
Initially, I entered the teaching profession because I felt it important for students in my community to benefit from a caring, passionate, and knowledgeable teacher. Because I had the privilege of having several teachers who truly cared about students and their learning and were influential in their lives, I knew I wanted to be “that” kind of teacher. I never wavered from that desire.

Through the course of my career, I have taken that passion for teaching and learning and transformed it to my work with teachers in hopes that all students experience a quality educator.

Why did you choose to earn your degree from the NC State College of Education?
I was in search of a college program that would nurture my love of adolescents and prepare me well to enter the classroom. In the late 1980s, the College of Education was one of the few N.C. universities offering a degree in Middle Grades Education. In fact, I was among the first students in the Middle Grades program in 1984. I had the privilege of being under the tutelage of Dr. John Arnold, the pioneer of the middle grades program at NC State. As a result, I was exposed to “cutting edge” ideas in middle grades education that I would never have received at any other institution. I am proud to be a Wolfpacker and a graduate of NC State University!