After experiencing life in the business world, Putnam City High School's Erica Nilsson determined she wanted to make more of a difference in others' lives, a decision that caused her to become an alternatively certified teacher. Nilsson, now an Algebra I and trigonometry teacher, shares her thoughts on teaching.

Alternative Certification is designed for professionals wishing to enter the field of education. Basically, a person's years of experience in the work force can replace college credit hours in the field of education. The more experience an individual has, the fewer hours he or she is required to complete. Alternatively certified educators must still pass the same exams that traditionally certified educators pass. However, the coursework can be completed over three years while he or she is employed as a teacher.

After graduating college with a degree in finance, I worked as a showroom manager for a jewelry company. In this position I had the opportunity to work with major department stores such as Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. It was a lot of fun for a short time, but after a while it just felt empty. I couldn’t really see how selling jewelry was making a difference in anyone’s life.

In some ways, though, that position led to where I am today. Besides seeing the practical applications of math, I believe it instilled in me a great desire to help others and to do something meaningful. That’s why I became a teacher.

I am extremely stubborn. I never let anyone give up or say that they can’t. In preparing for state tests last year, I think I probably just drove the students crazy until they decided it was just easier to do it. Also, I tried my best to let each student know that I cared about him as an individual first.

About two weeks prior to students taking state tests, our Algebra I teachers began extra work with small groups of students. Every day we gave up our planning periods or found other time to meet with students and review material for the test and tutor them on test strategies. I worked with almost every student. I not only wanted to make sure students passed, but I wanted to make sure that we had a high percentage of students who scored at the highest level.

I also enjoy working with my students as Putnam City High School's assistant girls' golf coach. One couldn’t ask for a better group of girls to coach. They’re just the kind of students you want to be around, whether in the classroom or at practice. Helping out with the girls’ golf program has been one of the best experiences I’ve had here at Putnam City.

Since meeting my husband, Par, my life has revolved around golf. He played golf for Oklahoma State University and now plays as a professional on a tour in northern Europe. My summers are spent following him around golf courses. I began playing a couple of summers ago, and now I’m hooked.

When my husband gets a chance he comes out to help with practice. Also, last year my friend, Karin Sjodin, who is on the LPGA Tour, came to a practice. Karin leads the LPGA in driving distance. She is impressive to watch, so that was a lot of fun for the girls on our team. Being relatively new to the game, I may not be able to help as much as more experienced coaches, but I have some pretty good connections.

One of the best experiences I've had as a teacher was when a former Algebra I student, who was repeating Algebra I as a sophomore, wanted me to let another teacher know he could handle doubling up on math his junior year. He had decided that he liked math, and he told me that he wanted to be able to take my trigonometry class his senior year.