Being a stay-at-home mom was the dream, but without any income, it wasn’t financially possible. Mrs. Buss finally found a job she really loved when she became a teacher, but it took her some time to get there.
As a high school senior, Mrs. Buss was accepted into three colleges to become a physical therapist. “I didn't have a great relationship with math, and a poorer one with science, so I'm not sure how that had become a career consideration.” After scratching the physical therapy idea, Mrs. Buss attended South West Technical College for Food and Hotel Management. She still didn’t find the click she was looking for in Food and Hotel Management, so she continued searching for something that would fulfill her purpose.
Being married with kids made the college life a little different, but also created “some pretty great experiences,” says Mrs. Buss. It was hard knowing she would have to leave her kids and husband at certain times to pursue her career, but it only made her a stronger person. Mrs. Buss got to experience living life with her husband and kids, while learning a whole new career in teaching.
Eventually, she transferred to the University of Wisconsin-Platteville to earn her English Education degree. Spanish came into the picture when Mrs. Buss discovered a shortage of Spanish teachers. “I never dreamed when I graduated from high school at 17 that I would end up becoming a teacher. Yet I know I am a different person than I would have been had I not chosen this profession.” It may have been hard at the time, but Mrs. Buss also got the firsthand experience when she traveled to Spain with four of her classmates to finish out her Spanish minor.
Before she came to Potosi, Mrs. Buss taught both Spanish and English, so coming to Potosi was a little different because she is only teaching Spanish now. “I was a little worried about being the new person after teaching at the same school for 29 years.” Once she started the job and got into the swing of the school year, she found that her close relationship with her students didn’t change. “You all are fun here, too, so that’s made the transition pretty easy.”
Many students admire the way Mrs. Buss keeps a professional relationship with them and helps them learn in a fun and exciting way. Senior Allie Kaufman, who has had Mrs. Buss all four years of high school, explains Mrs Buss “will sit down and help you with stuff you don’t understand. She makes learning fun and exciting.”
Even through the difficult times, tiredness, or bad moods, Mrs. Buss always finds the flip side to laugh at something during the day. The time she gets to spend with co-workers has also helped her feel more at home in Potosi. “Lunches with my co-workers, adult conversations, have always been a fun part of my day. I really do laugh at someone or something every single day, and that makes my work life pretty rewarding.”