As a kid, Karma Nordstrom never dreamed of becoming a teacher. But after college and a short career in consumer education and marketing, her thoughts changed.
“After some years after college working in the corporate world, I realized I wanted to do something meaningful with my life,” Nordstrom said. “So I went back to school for a Master’s degree in education.”
For Nordstrom, being a teacher wasn’t easy.
“It wasn’t an easy change of careers,” Nordstrom said. “I found out the hard way that teaching is nothing like how it looks on TV or in the movies.”
But after teaching for almost two decades, Nordstrom is happy with her job. She loves the challenges, the learning, and the chance to be around interesting people that teaching gives her.
“The job is never the same from one day to the next, there are many opportunities to be creative and learn new things, and I get to meet hundreds of new and interesting people every year,” Nordstrom said.
Eighteen years into her career, Nordstrom is currently a social studies teacher at Clague. During her free time, she is active with the teacher union as well as with the union’s bargaining team. Being in the bargaining team means that she helps negotiate with district leadership about things like salaries and working conditions.
“Being involved in the teacher union and the bargaining team takes me out of the classroom more than I like, but it’s challenging and important work, and I’m proud to be part of the team,” Nordstrom said.
Nordstrom has also taught not only in America but also in Trondheim, Norway for 2 and ½ years.
“Before I was hired at Clague as a teacher, I worked at Clague for a year as a long-term substitute teaching assistant,” Nordstrom said. “After that, I taught at an international school in Trondheim, Norway, for 2 and ½ years. My family and I returned to the US in the summer of 2013, and I was hired as an ELA and Social Studies Teacher at Clague that fall.”
As an experienced teacher, Nordstrom has a lot to say to all the students around the world.
“As for advice I’d give students, I’d say that it’s ok to make mistakes in life,” Nordstrom said. “Though you might feel sad or disappointed at the time, mistakes are often the things that take you on interesting journeys. Life is not a straight path. It’s curvy and unpredictable, and that’s what makes it worth living.”
