Getting To Know Your Teachers: Natalie Blackgrove

By Emily Doyle

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing one of our amazing Hudson Global Scholars teachers. Below are the highlights of our conversation!  

Tell me about yourself and anything you’d like your students to know.  

I live in Holland, Indiana on a 40-acre farm with a lake, chickens, corn, and soybeans. I’ve been married for 10 years and have 2 kids in 2nd and 3rd grade. My children are home-schooled, and I am very involved in my community.  

How do you and your family get involved in your community?  

My kids are active in 4H, which is a super popular club in Southern Indiana and is also highly competitive. 4H allows children in third grade through high school to pursue hobbies outside of academics and sports, such as homemaking, technical skills, and farming. For example, my daughter rides horses so she will show a horse when she is old enough. My son shows a pig and does woodworking. In the summer there is a fair where children’s projects are judged, they win ribbons, and the students with the best marks can advance to the state fair.  

How did you get into teaching?  

I went to public school in a rural community and had the opportunity in my senior year to do cadet teaching. In the first semester, we learned what teachers do. In the second semester, we received practical skills and worked as teaching assistants alongside the teacher.  

By the time I was attending college, I realized I missed teaching. There, I had a teacher who  encouraged me to look at teaching as an option. I started with elementary education, but soon realized that I had no desire to teach math and science, so my sophomore year in college I switched to English. In my community there is a huge need for ELL (English Language Learning) so I focused on that.  

When did you become an online teacher?  

I loved in-person teaching but left it to be closer to my children when my daughter was born. Childcare is also very hard to find and expensive in the United States. I stayed home with my children for a few years and then started homeschooling them; this is when I realized how much I missed teaching. On a whim, I got online and looked into ways to teach from home. Being able to teach online has been a huge blessing for myself and my family in many ways.  

What courses do you teach and what do you enjoy about them?  

Right now, I teach a lot of different courses, including 8th grade language arts, honors freshman and sophomore language arts, world history, and senior English. I will begin to teach ELL in a couple of weeks as well. I also teach some topical classes, such as a course on renewable resources, which is focused on English practice in different academic areas.  It is so much fun to get to know my students from all over the world, their customs, and what they like to do for fun. It also shows that we are not that different from each other. For example, it is fun to talk to current students about soccer now that my son is playing. We can have that connection despite living on the other side of the planet!  

Can you share a favorite memory from your teaching career?  

Just a couple years after college, I taught 8th grade in a big city about 45 min away. I got really sick and was hospitalized for a week. When I came back, I was just blown away at how happy my students were to see me. They had made me cards and signs and hugged me. It stuck out to me how much they needed my support and that I could be a source of stability in their lives. 

What advice do you have for someone interested in a career in education?  

The most important thing is to be okay with making mistakes. I started in elementary education and learned that it wasn’t right for me. It was hard to switch—but my gifts weren’t working with small children. Just because one part of education doesn’t work for you, it doesn’t mean another part won’t. There are so many roles in education outside of teaching. School counselors help children to meet their basic needs so that they can come to the classroom ready to learn. Academic coaches help teachers improve their skills. So many avenues of education get overlooked. If you’re thinking about it, investigate all the possibilities. You might want to spend some time shadowing a classroom and finding out if teaching is something you truly enjoy.  

What do you enjoy outside of teaching?  

My family is super outdoorsy, and we like to hike, bike, and fish. I rescue animals and we have four dogs now. Two of those dogs were “foster fails” which means we did not intend on adopting them in the long-term. I kept telling my husband “They are going back” and they never went back! I also volunteer at my church with my kids’ programs. I like being around people, and as a stay-at-home mom, I like to get out. We have a very strong community so there are many ways to get involved.  

Who inspires you?  

In my personal life, I look up to my dad. He is super patient and gives excellent advice. When I was learning to drive, he said, “When you turn left, you have to commit and go. You can’t hesitate.” That was great advice for life, too.  

My professor, Mr. Herb Neighbors, would say “Teaching is not a job, it is a calling. You are called to do it, it will take root in you, it is your life.” I see that in my community. I have been invited to former students’ weddings and baby showers. I love to see my former students out in the community.