As a high school student, I have always dreaded hearing  “what’s your plan for after high school?” and “what career path are you headed down?” I have tried my best to avoid any conversation relating to my future because I thought I was never going to decide what I wanted to do with myself. Of course, like in any typical hero’s journey I encountered a mentor in the treachery that is high school--and even though she doesn’t know it (and would never admit to it), Lori Barbee has guided me in determining what I want to make of my life.
On my first day of Yearbook during my junior year at Arrowhead Union High School, I entered the classroom with speculation. I thought the class would be as boring as any other. And then I was awoken by the rambunctious voice of my teacher, Mrs. Barbee. In a school full of stiffs, she really was a Barbie Girl in her own world. Unlike the other teachers, she was a companion who encouraged a more relaxing environment--allowing us to call her solely by her last name as you would a friend.
Barbee started the first class off by giving us a name tag. As she handed everyone their name, you could see the confusion and anger in everyone's eyes, as each individual's name was misspelled. Her goal was to make the class agitated, allowing them to remember why it is important to spell every name right in the yearbook.
I look back on that day and wonder where I would be without Mrs. Barbee. Her love and dedication to the school's yearbook has opened my eyes to a new world. As a junior I was not entrusted with many responsibilities in the production of the yearbook, but with the few opportunities I was given, I was able to develop my affection for digital design.
After one year of her class, I was begging for more and couldn’t wait until the next year. Barbee has helped me find a new passion and interest in graphic design that I would have never have found if it wasn’t for her.
People may say what she does is easy, but I would say otherwise. I have never seen a teacher who is more dedicated and determined. Mrs. Barbee puts her own personal life aside to focus on the yearbook. She spends her free time going to activities and taking pictures to contribute to the yearbook. Often times, she has to make up for our mishaps. For example, no one offered to go to take pictures at the homecoming parade, so she gladly went. If it weren’t for Mrs. Barbee, we would not have won awards for our yearbooks for the past three years.
I may not be a hero, but I am certainly on a journey in which I am so glad I have had Barbee to guide me through to what comes next. It is for these reasons why she is deserving of the title Educator of a Lifetime and nothing short of that.