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Langley’s newest special education teacher, Rebekah Spreter, has been all around the world and came here with motivation to make a difference in her students’ lives, fueled by the chance to help students reach their full potential.
Growing up in a family of teachers, Spreter vowed early to never follow the same path, deterred by the hardships she had seen her family encounter. However, this sentiment changed once having children of her own, and her desire to help people grew even bigger.
“I had kids and saw the struggles my brother went through in school and I was like… ‘I want to make a difference for people like my brother who didn’t really get the help,’” Spreter said. “So I went into education.”
As a military kid, Spreter has spent more of her life in Europe than the US, and has only
been in Virginia, on and off, for three years. Being raised in different continents, Spreter found opportunities in unique places. However, she has ultimately found her home in Virginia after spurts of teaching around the world and interviewing with Langley.
“I was in Germany [before this]. I was at DODEA which is a permanent defense school. I
taught at Marshall last time I was here,” Spreter said. Although there are many benefits to being a teacher, Spreter, like many others, often encounters tough obstacles. Spreter finds that the best way to face these is to go back to the beginning and remind herself of her original inspiration. “Looking back at my motivation at why I became a teacher helps me push through,” Spreter said. “And the times I can't get past that, it's just a lot of time in the gym.”
Despite the inevitable troubles working in education introduces, Spreter finds that being
a teacher is more than worth it, as watching her students advance their knowledge and
understanding of the world is a gift nothing can take away. Spreter’s drive is rooted in her
observation and aspiration to make education more inclusive, a goal she acquired after seeing the struggles her brother went through in school. “Seeing how much the kids grow in their education and seeing the confidence build, that is my favorite part,” Spreter said.
In addition to the satisfaction it brings her to see her students’ love of learning develop,
Spreter finds activities outside of school help her recharge and enjoy the work more. Hobbies such as spending time with family, traveling, and working out are some of the things that bring her joy. However, her ultimate motivation is the prospect of her students growing as people.
“I hope they learn and grow in life,” Spreter said. “I hope that I can make a difference in
their life, but it doesn't necessarily have to be me. I just hope that they have someone there that is able to show and help them grow.”
~ By Sara Sastry, Saxon Scope Assistant Design Editor
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