Lafayette Spotlight: Joan Turner

Meet Mrs. Turner!  She is one of the English teachers here at Lafayette and is responsible for making the yearbook such a success year after year.

INTERVIEW

Q– What do you do/teach here?

A— I usually teach yearbook, creative writing, the Early College Program, and then either juniors or seniors.  I have pretty much taught every class offered here except AP Lit.

Q– Why did you come to LHS and how many years have you been here?

A– I came to Lafayette after teaching college – the pay in public school is way better than college (if you teach English).  I started here in 2005.  They moved me to Warhill for three years when it opened, but I came back here in 2010.

Q– What college did you go to?

A— I got my Bachelor’s and Masters in English from ODU.

Q– Why did you decide to teach?

A– I love English and I have always had a very nurturing personality (I like to take care of people), so teaching seemed like a good fit.

Q– What do you love about your job?

A— I honestly love most of my job. I like the kids, I like the subject I teach.  About the only thing that is not fun is grading essays.  That gets tedious.

Q– Do you have any advice for young people today?

A– Cultivate your curiosity.  Keep learning new things.  Don’t settle for simple answers.

Q– What other career paths have you explored or dreamed of?

A— I have always enjoyed writing and would love to make a living doing that.

Q– What is your favorite thing about teaching?

A— The students😊

Q– Compare your own high school to Lafayette.

A— I would say atmosphere-wise, they are pretty similar.  I think my high school was smaller.  We luckily didn’t have all of the standardized testing so teachers were free to give creative assignments. We probably had a smaller choice of course to choose from.  There were no AP classes and no dual enrollment.

Q– If you were stranded on a remote desert island, which three other LHS teachers would choose to have there with you?

A— Mallory Young, Valerie Smith, and Lisa Wathen.