A NASA satellite analyst, dental hygienist, biotech company health and safety inspector, steamfitter, forestry manager and banker. The journey to teaching comes in many forms.

Second-career teachers bring experience, knowledge and expertise to the classroom. And in light of the College's most recent Transition to Teaching 2020 survey, which highlights the need for more teachers in Ontario, we could see more latecomers entering the profession.

We spoke with six Ontario Certified Teachers who have found passion and purpose in their second calling.

Lisa Marie Doerksen, OCT, worked as a NASA satellite analyst.

While Lisa Marie Doerksen, OCT, was doing an internship as a satellite analyst at NASA at the Goddard Space Flight Center, a sarcastic comment in a meeting by her supervisor set her on a mission. Doerksen found the math logic in the draft of a document she was reviewing was wrong. She questioned it.

"My supervisor responded, 'They had terrible math teachers in high school.' He created a monster because that stuck in my head. I decided I wanted to go into teaching to right that wrong."

Doerksen always had a passion for math. It was her major in university. Even her dog, Kepler, is named after the 17th-century mathematician.

Growing up in the United States as a person of colour, as a child she asked her mother what she could be, and her mother responded, "Anything you want." "So, I literally tried everything," Doerksen says.

"[I want students to] become what they would like to be, but know the math behind it."
— Lisa Marie Doerksen, OCT

She was a budgeting and accounting assistant in an insurance company and was a part-time radio host for a gospel station. But she always found herself "floundering" and "bored," looking for her real purpose.

The NASA supervisor's comment helped her find it. For the past 30 years she's been teaching math, most recently at Earl Haig Secondary School in Toronto. (She's now the curriculum leader of math.)

In her classes, Doerksen treats math not "as a spectator sport," but as something you experiment with to find tangible ways to help students solve problems. To teach slope, she brought in toy cars from the dollar store and had the students build ramps to race the cars to see how far up the ramp they could go — seeing slope and the formula in action.

"I love teaching math at all levels so that students will go off and become what they would like to be, but know the math behind it."

Nazila Reyhani Ghasabeh, OCT, worked as a health and safety inspector for a biotech company.

Nazila ("Nazzy") Reyhani Ghasabeh, OCT, and her family fled Iran because of the war with Iraq in the 1980s. They went to Germany before eventually landing in Canada when she was 17.

Her mother, who was a nurse, had big dreams for her and her two sisters."She used to say 'I'm moving countries because of you girls. I want you to have the best possible education.' It seemed to me if they were moving countries for us, all of us were going to turn out to be doctors and brain surgeons."

When she was five years old, Reyhani Ghasabeh had a different dream. She was fascinated by her kindergarten teacher and used to write with chalk on her brown bedroom door. But in Canada, she went in another direction. "My dream at the time was more my mom's dream. Deep in my heart, I knew that I always wanted to be a teacher."

Achieving her dream seemed impossible — especially her first year in Canada as a Grade 11 student. In biology class, her teacher was handing out textbooks but skipped over her. "I said, 'give me textbook,' and he shook his head. I could feel people laughing and he said, 'No, you don't speak English.' I was so embarrassed. I just stood there. I kept repeating myself. So, he gave me one reluctantly."

Reyhani Ghasabeh persevered. She worked so hard, she ended up as the top student in the class. She quickly learned English and studied life sciences in university. But when she applied for medical school, she wasn't accepted. She went on to get a master's in cell and molecular biology.

Reyhani Ghasabeh went into the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. She landed top jobs in research and development. Yet at 33, she found herself unhappy and had her first defining moment.

"I was the health and safety inspector for my company. One day, I'm training around 100 people on health and safety, a mandatory requirement for new employees. That's when I had this 'aha' moment. I said to myself, 'I'm teaching. I got this.'"

Two years later, she applied to a teacher education program and was surprised at her parent's reaction. "When I got into teachers' college, I told them this is who I want to be, and both of them were so happy for me."

She eventually taught high school science and brought her experience from industry into the classroom. "When I was talking to the kids about science, it wasn't just teaching something from a textbook. It was really talking authentically about my experiences."

Reyhani Ghasabeh now is the head of the guidance department at Alexander Mackenzie High School in Richmond Hill, Ont., and is learning how to assist students from at-risk communities."Teaching is the best profession. I just love it."

Curtis Sandberg, OCT, worked as a steamfitter.

After Curtis Sandberg, OCT, graduated from high school in Thunder Bay, he couldn't wait to get his teaching degree. But the job landscape when he graduated in 2012 didn't hold much promise. The only teaching job he could find was a two-and-a-half-hour commute, and he knew he'd probably have to be there a few years.

About to start a family, Sandberg joined the trades as a steamfitter, like some of his family members. He started an apprenticeship and worked for a mechanical contracting company, eventually earning the top Red Seal designation (a certification program that sets standards to assess the skills of tradespeople).

Steamfitters work on boiler heating systems typically seen in schools, large office buildings or hospitals. They install the piping to connect those systems. "I was working on equipment I honestly didn't even know existed. I am extremely happy I did it. It allowed me the opportunities I have now."

Sandberg was a steamfitter for nine years. This past year, with two young children at home, he didn't want to have to travel anymore for work. That's when his old passion came calling.

"I was hired to teach the manufacturing technology program at Superior Collegiate & Vocational Institute, a high school here. If I hadn't joined the trades and had that previous career, I wouldn't have been able to do this because you need to have the Red Seal certification."

He gives the students a taste of every trade. "It's important. There's a shortage of skilled trades workers all across Canada."

Even though he took a circuitous route to get in front of a class, he says everything happens for a reason. "When I first started teaching, I knew I wanted to make a difference. But now I'm in a role that I've been formally trained for, [working] in the hands-on aspect of this program. I feel it was meant to be."

Valérie Murzello, OCT, worked as a dental hygienist.

Valérie Murzello, OCT, was the lead dental hygienist in a dental practice. She had also been an instructor in a dental college, which provided her with her first taste of teaching.

But after 15 years, Murzello made a slow progression into teaching. A hygienist's job is physical and repetitive, and she was starting to have neck and wrist issues.

Murzello also volunteered at her children's schools and read to the kids. "I just loved it. The time would fly by." She adds, "I would come home and just feel really good about the day I had."

Five years ago, she enrolled in a teacher education program and made the switch. "I won't lie; going back to school was difficult. When you go back at 40, and everybody else is in their early 20s, it can make you anxious."

As a francophone, she found a permanent position at a French-language elementary school after graduating, and now works for the Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir in Toronto.

"It was an adjustment, for sure. In dental hygiene, the job is intense when you're there but when you go home, you don't take work with you. When you're teaching, it's never out of your mind."

Yet, Murzello has zero regrets. "Especially today when a lot of people have multiple careers, I tell my kids it's OK to choose one thing, do it and then decide to do something else."

Timothy Griffin, OCT, worked in forest management.

When Newfoundland-born Timothy Griffin, OCT, graduated from university with a degree in forestry in 1987, he got a summer job in Northern Ontario and never left.

Griffin had a 19-year career in forest management but lost his job in 2006 when the multinational company he worked for closed down. He was involved in the community helping to run minor hockey, and always had an interest in teaching. But he was 44 at the time. "You get to be that age and think, 'I've got a good job. Why would I go back to school? I'm not young.' But when you lose your job, it forces your hand."

Griffin was one of the oldest in his class when he enrolled in his teacher education program in 2007. Because he lived in a remote community, he was able to find a job right away and started teaching at a Catholic high school before eventually becoming a principal in 2017.

"... [this] can be done ... you're never too old [to learn new things]."
— Timothy Griffin, OCT

Griffin lives in Longlac, Ont., a town with 1,400 people. "We are somewhat solated. The kids don't have access to the same things someone has in Thunder Bay, three hours away. They can't access different activities unless we make those activities happen for them. And that's what we do."

One year Griffin took his students on a trip to Iceland. He also brought his real-world experiences into class. "Forestry, mining, heavy equipment, it's a big part of the economy up here. I spoke about what it's like to be in the bush at 5 a.m. when it's 40 below."

Now sitting in the principal's chair, Griffin reflects on his journey. "I would just say [this transformation] can be done. It's scary [to lose your job]. But you're never too old [to learn new things]."

Rishi Soondarsingh, OCT, worked as a banker.

Rishi Soondarsingh, OCT, had it all. He worked in business banking and the leasing industry for six years. And because he was fluent in French, he kept getting promoted. "I was successful, but I felt like I was failing upwards."

Every 18 months, he'd feel unchallenged. Psychologically, he wasn't built for a cubicle. "I was miserable."

Soondarsingh's mother had been a teacher, but he wanted to carve out his own path. When he saw how at home he felt coaching swimming and mentoring young athletes, he decided to rethink things.

"It was one random day when I said, 'I can't do this anymore.' I applied to teachers' college. It was a long time coming. It was just a matter of sacrificing the salary and being prepared to take the necessary steps."

Since 2013, he's been teaching French at West Oak Public School in Oakville, Ont. It's the longest stretch in his career where he's been doing the same job.

"As a student, there weren't many teachers who looked like me. Coming in as someone with a diverse background, students are drawn to me. They ask, 'What's your name?' 'What's your background?' 'Why are you wearing your Rakhi (bracelet)?' I feel like a role model."

He says the contrasts between careers is stark. In the private sector, it was harder to see the impact. "In school, when you have a kid struggling, everyone works together to help that student be successful. There's nothing like it."