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#WhyIChoseEducation: Deborah Maness

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: Deborah Maness
Graduation Year: 1988
Program: Curriculum and Instruction
Career Role & Responsibilities: I teach freshman English seated and online at Wake Tech Community College. I am a certified online instructor who mentors new online instructors.

Why did you enter the field of education?
I dreamed of teaching a class as a child drawing on my prized free-standing chalkboard. I am a life-long learner with degrees and certificates from several N.C. universities. I began in Elementary Education teaching second and fifth grades. I extended my certification for grades 6-8 Science when there was a need for science teachers, but completed my Masters of Education at NC State when I had a wide range of readers in my fifth-grade classroom. I completed my Master’s program of study which allowed me to teach classes at Wake Tech as an adjunct. I was hired full-time to teach college readiness classes in 2000. After adding graduate English courses to my transcript, I moved into the English Department to teach freshmen English composition.

Why did you choose to earn your degree from the NC State College of Education?
I chose the NC State College of Education Educational Curriculum and Instruction program because it was available in the afternoon and evening after teaching. I was able to teach full-time and take classes. My elementary school was just minutes away from campus. Of course, this was in 1988 before online access. This program allowed me to choose a major and minor. A reading major provided me with the assessments for reading issues and strategies to improve students’ reading. The counseling minor assists with students dealing with low self-esteem and learning problems. I continue to use my training with the adults I work with today.