Every week The Bear Facts chooses a St. Joe teacher to be featured. This week the staff chose Mrs. Sarah Brock.

The Bear Facts: What’s your hometown?

Mrs. Sarah Brock: I moved around a bit growing up, but I usually claim Madison, MS as my hometown since I lived there the longest.

The Bear Facts: What is your zodiac sign?

Brock: I’m a Gemini.

The Bear Facts: Do you have any children? If so, how old are they, and do you have a spouse?

Brock: My husband, Hunter, and I have two kiddos. Jacob is 3, and Ellie will be 1 in September.

The Bear Facts: What’s your favorite band? Who are your favorite artists?

Brock: My teenage self wants to proclaim Hanson to be the best band ever. However, my tastes have matured ever so slightly. You’ll usually hear me blaring Fall Out Boy or Panic at the Disco in the parking lot to get hyped up for the day.

The Bear Facts: If you could keep any exotic animals as pets, what would they be?

Brock: I adore sea otters. They’re just so cute! But I hear they’re actually pretty terrible to other creatures, so I think I’ll just adore them from afar.

The Bear Facts: When you were a student, was was your favorite subject?

Brock: I’ve been an English nerd my entire life.

The Bear Facts: What college did you attend?

Brock: I did most of my undergrad work at Southern Miss but actually graduated from Mississippi College. I got my Masters at Belhaven University.

The Bear Facts: What degrees did you earn?

Brock: I have a BA in Spanish with a minor in Psychology. I also have a Masters if Arts in Teaching.

The Bear Facts: What did you want to do, profession wise, as a child? If this changed as you got older, why?

Brock: My entire life I said I was going to be a doctor…and then I got to college chemistry. It never came naturally to me so I switched to something I had an easier time with- Spanish. I thought I’d be a translator (I was dead set against teaching). Fast forward to 2006 and I became a substitute teacher at St. Richard. I filled in for the Spanish teacher for most of the year and realized I was pretty good at teaching. So I finished my Spanish degree and went back for my Masters in Teaching.

The Bear Facts: Who is someone you look up to and why?

Brock: John Oliver has made a career combining research and comedy. His entire job is to prove people wrong while being funny. Admittedly, I have a bad habit of pointing out when someone is wrong, so I try to at least insert some humor into the situation to soften the sting of criticism.

The Bear Facts: If you ever had second thoughts about your job, what drove you to continue and why?

Brock: There’s a study treat claims teachers make 1,500 decisions a day; that’s a four decisions every minute. This job requires so much of us mentally and emotionally. I actually had to take a break from teaching for a couple of years just so I could mentally recharge. When I returned to teaching, I felt like a better teacher fo it. I gained a better appreciation for the art of teaching after taking a step back it.

Mrs. Sarah Brock teaches 10th grade English and serves as the school’s website administrator.