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MyEnglishTeacher’sOdyssey ByAvaStephens “Whydidyoubecomeateacher?”“Well,that’sagoodone.IhadalwaysbeentoldthatI wouldbeagoodteacher.Mysixthgradeteacherwasthefirsttotellme.AndMr.GarrisBall, laterIdidalittlesubbingforhim,said‘Hedrick,youneedtobeateacher,’andIsaid,‘Ohmy goodnessno,doyouseehowtheydress!’” BettyMarvinwasborninBaltimore,Maryland.Herfatherworkedforacompanycalled MartinMarietta,whichlaterbecameLockheedMartin.WhenthecompanymovedtoFlorida, whereshecurrentlylives,theymoveddownaswell.Herparentswere“SweetChristianpeople,” forwhomeducation,church,andcommunitywasveryimportant.Shehadthreesiblings,Mary, Katherine,andBobby.ShelivedincentralFloridafortheremainderofherchildhood. Afterhighschool,shewenttocollege,andmajoredinsocialsciencesandEnglish,with theintentiontogotoLawSchool.Shelaughed,“Ididn’thavemuchfunincollege,becauseI wantedtograduateinthreeyearswithhonors.Ididnotjoinasorority,anddidnotreallydo muchbutstudyandgotoschool,eveninthesummer.” WhenIaskedaboutherhusband,shechuckled.“Oh,yikes,”shesaid.Shemether husbandinhighschool,becausehewasdatingherbestfriend,andwhentheybrokeup,she starteddatinghim..Shesurfed,andshewastheonlygirlwhosurfedwithabunchof“cute Christianguys.”Shelaughed.“Anditwasdelightful,becausetherewereallthesecuteChristian fellas.”Herfuturehusband,Dean,andherstarteddatinghersenioryearofhighschoolafter January.HethenwentintotheMarineCorpsfortwoyearsandgotoutandwenttocollege.A