Lisa Marks - PALS Tutor

My journey in education is a little different from most teachers. I began my career in a totally different field. I graduated from Radford University in 1981 with a B.S. degree in Therapeutic Recreation. I had no intentions of becoming a teacher at that time. I worked as a Therapeutic Recreation Specialist/Volunteer Coordinator at a nursing home in Lynchburg, Virginia Beach, and later at Southeastern Virginia Training Center in Chesapeake. Believe it or not, that first degree and those years working in Therapeutic Recreation helped prepare me for teaching Elementary Students.

I stayed home a few years with my 3 children and had the pleasure of teaching preschool for 5 years at my children’s private school in Richmond where I fell in love with teaching! I earned my Early Childhood Certificate from John Tyler and later completed the program at Mary Baldwin College when we moved to Nelson County in 1997 and become certified to teach Pre-K through 5^th grade. I’ve been teaching in Nelson County for over 20 years in 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd grades as well as in the PALS tutoring program. Together with my preschool years in Richmond, I have over 25 years in education. All three of my children are Nelson County Graduates and one is even currently working in the school system as well.

I officially “retired” in the spring of 2019 but am delighted to be back home at Tye River as a part-time PALS Tutor!