March 13, 2024 by Carlie Friedman (’24)
If you walk into room G243 at any time between 7:49am – 2:20pm, you are certain to find at least one student who is not supposed to be there. This is not because the student is ditching class or in some sort of trouble. They are choosing to spend their free time in this room because of its reliable occupant, Erin Bell. If she is not offering sage advice or words of encouragement, she can be found taking her chemistry students on a journey of learning, with a teaching style that speaks strongly to her character and choice of profession.
Ironically enough, Bell did not always want to be a teacher. This profession was not her childhood dream. “When I was a kid, my parents told me, ‘You can do whatever you want to do, but you can’t be a teacher,’” Bell said.
As a child, Bell excelled academically. “She always did well in school and set high goals for herself,” said Bell’s mother, Nancy Foley, “One particular fifth-grade teacher recognized and fostered her interests and strengths in science and technology.” As Bell’s years of schooling accumulated, so did her knowledge. She took AP classes in high school alongside leading dance classes and mastering piano. She had the world at her fingertips. Her parents, both teachers, recognized Bell’s remarkable talent, and forbade her from pursuing teaching as a profession.
“My dad felt like teachers don’t get as much respect as they deserve,” Bell said, “He really felt like I would struggle in the system because I was always a high achiever and really, really driven. He was cynical.”
Foley and her husband worried about their daughter. They recognized her brightness and wanted Bell to put it to good use. Foley wondered, “Would teaching provide enough of a challenge to prevent boredom? Teaching the same subject matter year after year might not be stimulating enough for her.” To Bell, teaching was out of the question. She attended Bucknell University, where she majored in chemical engineering and minored in biomedical engineering. At Bucknell she thrived in her studies.
“Her love of learning was obvious,” said Foley, “her college roommates laughed when talking about Erin walking back to the dorm with her new organic chemistry textbook, because she ‘couldn’t wait to start reading!’”
As her college years passed, Bell found herself presented with remarkable opportunities. “I had interviews with Wachovia, with J.P. Morgan, Goldman Sachs, doing investment banking stuff. I had interviews with Exxon Mobile, Glaxo-Smith-Kline (GSK), Bristol Myers Squibb, Merck, doing pharma stuff; Sylvania the lightbulb company…,” said Bell. Ultimately, she found herself accepting a job at Accenture, a global professional services company specializing in management consulting, systems integration, and outsourcing.
Bell’s success continued at her new job. She was constantly rated at the top. She enjoyed the camaraderie that came with working long and hard in group-based projects. But she had some misgivings. “I was dating someone who lived in upstate New York, working in mid New Jersey, celebrating my birthday with the staff of the Residence Inn in Princeton,” said Bell, “and I was really miserable in my job. I was really good at it, but I was really miserable.” She was working 60 to 80 hours a week, far from the comforts of her home, family, and boyfriend.
Bell would only dwell in her misery for so long. She knew that the time had come to search for a new profession. The only question left was where she would go. Bell said, “I remember it to this day. I was at my in-laws’ house and my father-in-law was just like, ‘Man, you ever think about being a teacher? You’d be a really good teacher.’”
This was the spark of inspiration she needed. Bell found an online program through the University of Southern California where she could obtain her degree in teaching while continuing to work at Accenture. It was a lot, but Bell had always been one to thrive with a full plate. She was happy.
Bell’s parents were not so joyful. “We felt her decision was an emotional one as opposed to a rational one, that it was based on the location of her boyfriend and his job. Was it something she really wanted to do?” Foley questioned.
But Bell did not share their reservations. “Student teaching solidified it for me. It was nice to see a way out. I’m not going to be traveling and living in a hotel for the rest of my life,” she said.
Shortly thereafter, she landed a job at Saratoga Springs High School as a chemistry teacher. Here, her decision was only further validated as she found herself immersed in her love of teaching and learning. “Having these teenagers who have the world at their fingertips in my room and talking to them about real life is the best thing I have ever done. And helping them believe in themselves. And helping them know that they have a cheerleader,” Bell said, “Seeing kids’ hidden potential and helping them reach that is the best thing I do.”
This dedication is recognized across the school. “She forges a level of appreciation and respect for her students that is unmatched. She gets to know them, and they can trust her with everything. I think that’s really commendable that she makes the time and space and emotional capacity to allow herself to become such a strong support for so many of her students,” said Peter Robinson, Bell’s coworker and friend.
Even Bell’s parents revoked their prohibition as they have watched their daughter flourish and grow through her profession change.
Foley said, “She is a master teacher and leader in the district. She has had an impact on her colleagues and her students. Respected by parents, administrators, colleagues, and students, she has succeeded, and we are proud of her.”
Bell’s decision was one she has never looked back on. Not even the fact that she has been working at the high school for twelve years and still not earning the pay she made right out of college is enough to draw her away from teaching.
Bell said, “If I had stayed at Accenture, I would be much wealthier in money, but I would be much poorer in time, and joy, and happiness, and fulfillment.”