two different paths...

two different paths...

  This is the concluding post celebrating women making history during this Women in History Month. 

  You will meet two outstanding women who have carved paths quite different from each other.  But, each has set her sights on reaching personal and/or career goals and thereby writing her own history.  

  Kayla Kaps is a secondary education teacher at Franklin Central High School in Indianapolis.  Kayla succeeded me as general manager of WRFT-FM upon my retirement.  

  Susan Martin is a retired stay-at-home mom of three grown sons.  She and her family reside in Louisville, Kentucky.

  July 16, 1840 is a date worthy of note.  According to usnews.com, that's when Catherine Brewer became the first woman from any college in the United States to earn a bachelor's degree.   She graduated from Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia.  

  

  Harvard was the first American university and it opened its doors to its first male students in 1636.  So, 204 years after men were admitted to college, a woman was admitted to college and graduated?  

  HUH? What's up with that?  

  

  In 1826, the first public high schools for girls were opened in New York and Boston, but it would be another 100 years before girls were commonly seen in classrooms nationwide in secondary education.

  During that time, there were even fewer female teachers. 

  Quoting pbs.com, ...from colonial times and into the early decades of the 19th century, teachers were men....... the more ambitious and better educated men made teaching a stepping stone to a career in the church or law. 

  However, the proportion of women teachers verses the number of men educators has changed in the last 75 years.  Data from the National Education Association (NEA) shows there are less than 800,000 male teachers across the nation today, compared to 2.4 million female instructors.

  And, amidst those 2.4 million women we will find twenty-something Kayla Kaps.  She is married to Adam who is an Account Manager for a marketing firm that manages the brands for advanced manufacturing companies globally.  

  I'm certified in secondary education, but I'm working on my Master's in Communication and Information Science, she said.  I had it in the back of my mind I wanted to teach, but I also wanted to do other things too.  Teachers have always been a huge influence for me and I've always loved learning and sharing what I know. 

  You had a really colorful college career.  You are now walking as a teacher the same halls you walked as a student.  When you graduated from FCHS, you went to the University of Southern Indiana.  

  I was in the radio/tv program at USI when I got the job as program director of the radio station during my freshman year, Kayla said.  I have a bachelor's degree in Radio and Television and Spanish Language and Culture, but I love broadcasting.  

  You won some pretty prestigious awards along the way.

  I did win a lot of national awards, she admitted.  I'm most proud of my 1st Place national award as an air personality.  I was a finalist for another national award and along the way managed to collect a few more in other categories.  It sounds like a brag, but I was very fortunate to do well while I was there.  

  You went into broadcasting out of college.  How was that experience?

  It was great!  I went to work at WVUB in Vincennes, Indiana as their program director and afternoon drive air personality.  After six months, I was bumped up to morning drive and I did that for a year, she said.  I was also asked to adjunct teach at Vincennes University and that's what brought me back to teaching.  

  What motivates you every day?

  I'm going to be super honest, I hate that word.  Motivation is a fickle mood and I don't think anyone feels it every day, she confessed.  What keeps me going though is a drive to succeed.  To do better than I did yesterday.  To learn something new in the process.  

  What adjustments have you had to make as a teacher because of Covid?

  The school is in a hybrid format, so I only see half my students every day.  Everything I do has to be done online too, so I have to record all my lectures and make sure all assignments are easy enough to follow without my help, she explained.  

  Do you feel challenged?

  I have to feel challenged every day, she replied.  Even in a normal year, trying to figure out how to teach a fairly complicated topic in a way that high school students with no experience can understand is a challenge.  Media changes so rapidly that trying to teach myself new trends and practices and then teaching that information to students kind of marries my love of learning and teaching.  

  What do you like about teaching.  What is rewarding to you?

  I love being able to share something that I'm passionate about every day.  It's a huge reward for me when a student starts getting the connection and asking really good questions, Kayla said.  

  Do you consider yourself an inspiration to others?

  I would love to think I am, but I don't think so yet.  I want to be an inspiration, but I don't think I've fought through the kinds of things that my inspirations have or I haven't reached that kind of level yet, she confided.  

  As a teacher, you are almost automatically a role model.  What would you say to high school girls who want to follow your lead?

  Get to know yourself, she advised.  Learn what you love, what makes you tick, what makes you nervous, what makes you happy.  Never back away from a challenge.  You are smarter and better than you think you are.  And, don't be afraid to take up space.  Be loud.  Ask for what you need, walk and talk confidently.  You're never going to please everyone, so be true to yourself, she concluded.  

  What do you see yourself doing 10 years from now?

  I would either love to be teaching media at the post secondary level, working in cyber security, or some form of IT work where I am the go-between helping IT departments better communicate with other departments who don't tech speak.  Adam and I also hope to be doing some traveling, she said.  

  It was a pleasure to catch up with Kayla and hear about her goals and aspirations.  

  Susan Martin worked as an Assistant Manager for First Union Bank in Atlanta before moving to Louisville.  She met and married Ken Martin who owns a construction company.  Susan and Ken have three sons, Kenny, 30, Adam, and Bradley.  Years ago, Susan chose to be a stay-at-home mom.  

  What made you and your husband decide you would not work after the boys were born?

  The cost of daycare was expensive and I didn't make that much at the bank I was working at when I moved here.  It was an easy decision, she said.    

  During your years as a full-time mom, what did you find challenging?

  It was the hardest job I ever had, Susan said.  I remember talking it over with my pediatrician and he said he didn't care if my husband was a brain surgeon, my job would be harder.  Really, my job with these three never ended, day or night.  They were all born in March one year apart from each other.  

  Did you ever regret not pursuing a career?

  Yes, sometimes, Susan confessed.  But, mostly, I thought my sons needed me home.  Aside from a few minor incidents, all three have turned out to be great young men.  

  Did you ever feel overwhelmed by your workload?

  Yes, I did, she admitted.  My husband worked all the time.  I remember one time the priest at school came up to me and asked me if there was a Mr. Martin because I was very involved in the boys life and I was always at their school by myself.  

  Do you feel your sons received more from you as a stay-at-home mom than if you had been a career mom?

  Yes, she offered.  I was able to be there for every part of my children's lives.  I volunteered at their Elementary school all the time.  I also know it takes two incomes these days to raise a family.  I've seen kids at school functions without either parent because they are both working and that would have really bothered me if I couldn't have been there for my three.  

  How would you describe your personality?

  I think I'm very outgoing.  I've never met a stranger, she volunteered.  

  When your sons were younger, did you have any hobbies?

  I loved making jewelry back then, she said.  We'd have parties and sell everything I made.  I had a booth at a vendor's mall and we'd scour yard sales for good deals, then resell them.  When the mall went out of business, I quit making and buying things.  

  Now that you're free, do you have any interest in working?

  No way!  I'm just enjoying my grandkids now, she said.  

  When your husband retires, what then?

  We love to travel and hopefully we'll do more when that time comes, she confided.  

  Well, that concludes our spotlight on Women in History Month, 2021.   You've now met six dynamic women who are charting their own course.  Thanks to Kayla and Susan, Dr. Ann Pinski, Tammy Mann, Denise Arington, and Leesa Froelich for their contributions to the last two posts.  

  Coming up, you will meet Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb's press secretary; delve into another chapter in the lives of Joe, Ruth, and their four sons; find out about some activities post-retirement from a few POS (people over 60); and, learn all about a new language. 

   And, a final note.  We leave you with this thought from American film actress Marilyn Monroe, who said: 

  Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition. 

  

  HUH?  What's up with that?