My name is Tracy McGuire. I am from Robbinsville, which is in Graham County. I graduated from Robbinsville High School in 1992 and attended University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill for my undergraduate degree in Elementary Education. I attended Piedmont College (now Piedmont University) from 2007-2008 for my Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education. I also obtained my National Board Certification in 2008.
I began my career teaching Pre-K at Andrews Elementary in Cherokee County, not because I wanted that particular age but because it was the job that was available. I only worked in Pre-K for one year then was moved to first grade. I taught first grade in Andrews for two years then transferred to Robbinsville Elementary for a job in first grade. I stayed in first grade for seven years then moved to sixth grade Language Arts. After teaching at the sixth grade level for eight years I had the opportunity to move to the high school to oversee the virtual learning environment. After a couple of years in this position I realized I missed teaching and interacting with the students so I approached my principal to get his thoughts about obtaining my high school English certification. He was excited and encouraged my to pursue this avenue. I started teaching a couple of blocks of English as well as facilitating the online classes. Eventually I transitioned to teaching English full time. This is my 28th year teaching and am looking forward to retirement in a couple of years.