About Me

My name is Susan Berard and I was born in Madison, Wisconsin but I only lived there for three months because I moved to Roswell, New Mexico. My father was a United States Air Force medic (probably an equivalent to a physician's assistant) so I had the opportunity of traveling to different places until I was 11 years old.  

I would like to think of myself as a "military gypsy child" rather than a "military brat" because it takes courage and patience for families who have to move to different parts of the United States and countries.

School Background

Before entering Charlotte High School, I attended seven different school systems where some had traditional teaching methods while others employed progressive ideas such as the open-classroom systems. Before becoming a teacher, I worked in several clerical positions from data entry to transcription work. I consider myself a "late bloomer" in selecting this vocation because teaching has never crossed my mind.

The turning point for my becoming a teacher began after working for the Department of Corrections in the state prison. I have seen the negative impact of a high number of inmates dropping out of school and resorting to crime to support themselves.  I would also like to "steal" a professor's credo from a quotation I saw while passing her door, stating "A student is worth more than test grades!"