By Martie Thompson
editor@floridanewsline.com
Mary Eyler, special education teacher at Crown Point Elementary School, was born and raised in Amman, Jordan. She attended very structured, all-girls Catholic schools. Her father was in the Jordanian Army, and upon his retirement, agreed to his sister’s request to join her and other family members by immigrating to the United States. Mary had just graduated from high school and when she moved with her family to Jacksonville, she found it to be so different from what she had experienced growing up in Jordan. “It was really a culture shock,” she said. With plans of becoming a dentist, she graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s in liberal arts and sciences. During a break after her graduation, she began substitute teaching at Pine Forest Elementary. She enjoyed it so much that she shelved her plans to be a dentist and went to the University of North Florida to earn her teaching certificate. She has worked in Duval County Public Schools for 37 years and will retire at the end of this school year. She lives in Mandarin with her husband of 27 years, James (“Jamie”). They have three children, daughter Erin, a nurse at Mayo; daughter Gabriella, a social worker; and James Jr. (“Jay”), a student at the University of Central Florida.
Q: What was the culture shock like when you first moved to Jacksonville from Jordan?
A: The biggest shock to me was seeing people jogging and elderly people riding bikes. Those things didn’t happen in Jordan. In Jordan, girls didn’t have the freedom to ride bikes or meet up with their friends. We stayed home and helped the family and did chores. Also, the stores here, like Pic ‘N’ Save, were so big!
Q: How did you transition from your goal of being a dentist to becoming a teacher?
A: When I found out there were girl dentists in the United States, I decided to become one because I liked science. After I earned my degree, I wanted a break from college because I was also working while taking classes. But soon I wanted something to do, so I started substitute teaching and found I loved working with the kids. I especially liked working with the ESE students because I found that I could make a difference.
Q: What grades have you taught and how did you come to work at Crown Point 25 years ago?
A: I have taught all the elementary grades and even taught sixth grade at Mandarin Middle School. I came to Crown Point after Twin Lakes Academy Middle opened and they didn’t need all of us ESE teachers at Mandarin Middle. When I first started at Crown Point, I worked at a new program they had called STAR for a couple of years. Then I started working in a self contained setting for ESE and now work in an inclusion setting.
Q: What is your favorite part about being a teacher?
A: Being with the kids and building relationships with them. I want them to know I care about them and want the best for them. I also want them to do their best. I work with small groups and when the students make progress, it melts your heart. They gain confidence and that is what keeps me going.
Q: What challenges do you face in education?
A: There are so many these days. First is time. There’s not enough of it to do everything we need to do, like lesson plans, grading, and paperwork. Also a lot of kids are reading below grade level and we work with them at school, but it is crucial for parents to read to their children and with them so that they can build a love for reading. Finally, we have such a teacher shortage. If we had more teachers, we could have smaller class sizes, which allows the teacher to do more with each student.
Q: What are your retirement plans?
A: I don’t have many plans right now. I want to take time to relax. I’d like to spend more time gardening and reading and I really want to travel to London to see my brother. Also, my dream is to take my family back to visit Jordan one day.
Photo courtesy Mary Eyler
Mary Eyler
