Most students see teachers as people who have always belonged in a classroom, but behind every lesson plan is a past full of different ambitions, unexpected turns and careers that almost happened. 

When asked what path they originally planned to take and where they might be if teaching wasn’t part of their life, teachers shared stories that reveal just how unpredictable the road to education can be. 

Culinary Arts teacher Jennifer Jillions took one of the most unconventional paths to teaching. 

Jillions began as a first-grade teacher before moving into psychology. 

“I worked in an asylum for criminally insane children — kids who probably should’ve been in a juvenile prison but went there instead,” said Jillions. 

She later worked as a therapist in an all-girls cottage. 

However, Jillions kept coming back to the restaurant, finding joy in the kitchen. Eventually, this led her to the job she has now. 

If she weren’t teaching now, she says she would return to the work she once did. 

“I would be a death, dying, dementia therapist,” said Jillions. 

History teacher Brittany Larson had a more straightforward path.

Larson originally pictured herself in a large stadium with a microphone in hand. 

“I started college as a broadcast journalism major, [but] I kept thinking about teaching while I was in my history classes,” Larson said. 

That realization pushed her to switch majors and fully commit to becoming a history teacher.

Although teaching is her passion, her dream job would be even more adventurous. 

“I would be a travel reviewer who goes to different restaurants, resorts and places around the world,” said Larson.

Social studies teacher Chenne Fox also earned a history degree, but his future was unclear at first. 

“I wasn’t sure what to do with that,” said Fox. “I thought I might become a lawyer.”

After college, he realized teaching was the right fit. Looking back, he says medicine also interested him. 

“It would have been fun to be a doctor,” said Fox, adding that nursing is something he might pursue someday. 

If money weren’t a concern, Fox says he would choose a much quieter path. 

“I would like to be a carpenter and build high-end furniture,” said Fox.

History and economics teacher Frank Obiesie originally went to school to be an attorney as well, and even worked as one for several years. 

“Then I changed my mind,” said Obiesie. 

If he weren’t teaching history, Obiesie thinks he’d work with animals or science. 

Whether he became a vet or a wildlife biologist, his answer to his dream job was always the same: teacher. 

While Larson dreamed of narrating a game, Spanish teacher Dan Nolan-Welsher would have rather played in one. You may expect this from the decor in his classroom or the occasional Yankees gear he wears. 

“I would’ve wanted to be a professional baseball player,” said Nolan-Welsher. “Something to do with the New York Yankees.” 

If this weren’t an option, he imagines himself in healthcare. 

“I’d probably be a nurse, because you get to help all types of people and they make a lot of money,” said Nolan-Welsher.

Together, these stories show that teachers are more than their classrooms. They are former journalists, lawyers, psychologists and dreamers, people whose byways of life ultimately led them to shaping students’ futures every day.