According to DoSomething.org, 46% of teachers in the education profession leave within five years of the start of their career. Underwhelming support systems and long after-school hours spent grading and planning are the top reasons for teacher burnout. Ms. Primo, a biology teacher here at Normal West High School says those obstacles won’t stand in her way of doing what she loves. 

“To be a good teacher, it’s a lot of compromising and difficult conversations that are worth it. When I’m tired or having a bad day, the students remind me why I love what I do,” she explains.

Before graduating from Illinois State University in 2018, Ms. Primo went through the PDS program, which offers senior education students a year long experience in a public school, at Normal Community. She says she enjoys teaching at West a lot more, though, because of the atmosphere.

“We’re all one big family,” she says.

Ms. Primo explains that she has always wanted to be a teacher since she was young. She is a big people person, and enjoys teaching people valuable pieces of knowledge that they can use in everyday life. She also explains that she has learned a lot in the two years working at Normal West. Being patient and understanding that, just like teachers, students have a life outside of school, are two of the biggest things Primo has learned while teaching full time.

“Be ready to put in a lot of work, but just know that it’s worth it. Be ready to lose sleep and invest in a very nice coffee machine,” she jokes.

Many students feel that Ms. Primo is arguably one of the best teachers at Normal West. 

Gracie Dehart, a junior,says, “Ms. Primo made my sophomore year at West way less stressful because I not only was able to talk to her about complications in my personal life, but also made Chemistry a breeze.”