“ When I graduated high school, the arts supervisor from the city said 'Well, I see we’re gonna have another art teach in four years.' So, I’m thinking, 'no, no all I want to do is go back and paint.' So she said no, and I said no to myself, but then there I was. I go looking for her after I’d graduated, and after my husband and I took a trip to Europe because he had gotten a trip and a scholarship. So, I came back and, oh my god, we didn’t have any money! So, that’s when I went back looking for her, asking her for a job. And I thought, 'oh my god, look at me.' She was a supervisor for the whole city. And she was a supporter of mine anyway. So, I started out by subbing. I subbed, I had to take some classes for the [teaching] certification, so I did that and I took the classes. I was lucky because some of the classes were in the Cape, Cape Cod, so I was very fortunate. After I took the classes, I worked at an elementary school and then a junior high, and I got offers [for a full-time position] from both places. So, I said, 'Hm, what do I wanna do here?' It turned out I could choose, so I did, I chose the elementary because even though it meant going from one school to another, it was still better for me because those junior high students, they were something else.

          I enjoyed being an art teacher, I thought I would have more time [for my own art practices], but by the time I go home I was usually exhausted. ”