LOYAL. LOCAL. COMPLETE.
Tammy Pittenger started her teaching career in Marshall as a reading tutor and computer lab supervisor for North Elementary School. There she stayed for 10 years before moving to Paris High School in August of 1997.
Pittenger had always wanted to be a teacher, her love for the career began her senior year of high school when she participated in the home economics-related occupations program. She spent every afternoon working in a sixth-grade classroom.
Aside from that, she also had two very influential Home Ec teachers throughout her high school career.
Pittenger went to Eastern Illinois University for both her bachelor’s degree and her Elementary Certification.
“I was torn between being a Home Ec (now called Family and Consumer Science) teacher or an elementary teacher,” she said.
Now she has taught a variety of classes including Foods 1 and 2, Child Development, Parenting, Living Environments, Adult Living, Culinary Occupations, Career and Learning Services Management, and Foundations to Teaching.
In her 27-year teaching career, it is difficult to pinpoint one memory that stands out, but she says, “If I had to pick one thing, it would be the pride students have when they have worked hard on a project.”
Whether it was a perfect grilled cheese sandwich, receiving a good score on the RealCare Baby project, or earning their Food Managers Certification, Pittenger says the list goes on and on, and she loves each moment.
One of her favorite things to witness is former students becoming successful adults in their lives after high school. There have been many students that have gone through the doors of room 44 of the old high school and E104 at the new high school.
“I feel blessed to be a small part of it all,” Pittenger said as a final comment. “Once a tiger...always a tiger.”