A Surprise Calling: From Language, to Teaching, to Teaching the Teachers
| by Hannah Sparling
If you’d asked her in high school what she wanted to be when she “grew up,” Cascade Lineback probably would have told you she didn’t know.
But she could have told you what she didn’t want to be: a teacher.
Life, it turns out, had other plans.
Lineback first discovered her love of teaching through her love of language. She studied abroad in Spain during college and connected deeply with that passion and skill. By her junior year, she had switched from a Spanish minor to a Spanish major. And by her senior year, she was starting to realize that teaching would probably be part of her career path as well.
She graduated with a degree in Spanish and shortly after moved to Spain to teach English. There, she taught every level from pre-K through adult learners. Her only experience at that point was a few college classes plus some substitute teaching in Arizona.
“I really jumped into teaching in the deep end,” she said.
Earning Her Professional Certification
Lineback returned to the U.S. to earn her master’s degree in Spanish at the University of Washington. There, she taught Spanish classes for the university while she was doing her master’s work.
She taught at an independent school in Seattle for about six years and then moved back abroad to continue her teaching career. By that point, she had about 10 years of teaching experience but had never earned her professional certification.
She started researching programs, and that’s when she found Moreland University’s TEACH-NOW Teacher Preparation Certificate Program. That was around 2014, and Moreland (founded in 2011) was still fairly new. Lineback did a lot of research on programs before choosing Moreland, she said, and it was by far the best option she found.
No. 1, she could do Moreland’s program while continuing to teach full-time.
No. 2, she could do it from anywhere in the world.
No. 3, the timeline, about 9 months total, was a lot faster than some of her other options.
As she earned her certification, she considered whether to earn her M.Ed. through Moreland as well. Her first thought was, “No way. I’ve spent enough of my time in school.”
But after talking with her mentors and supervisors, she was convinced an M.Ed. would improve her job opportunities and boost her earnings. So, in 2015, she earned her Master’s in Educational Research from Moreland.
Teaching the Teachers
These days, Lineback is living in New Mexico and working as an instructor for Moreland University, helping other teachers earn their professional certifications and master’s degrees. She splits her professional time between Moreland and her yoga business, where she does yoga classes, yoga retreats, and yoga teacher education.
She loves working with Moreland because it allows her to continue teaching while giving her more autonomy over her schedule and geographic location, more time to teach yoga, and more time to spend with family and friends.
“I do miss being in the (K-12) classroom. I do miss the students,” she said. “But maybe my impact in schools is by supporting and coaching teachers rather than working full-time at a brick-and-mortar school.”
As a Moreland instructor, Lineback loves meeting and working with teaching candidates from all over the world. She learns from them and their experiences just as they learn from her. They’re lifelong learners together, she said.
In their instructor evaluations, Lineback’s students call her engaging, positive, well-organized, supportive, and thoughtful. They praise her communication and the detailed feedback she leaves on their assignments.
“She has excellent interpersonal skills, and I wished I could have her for all the modules,” wrote one student.
“Cascade is a very humorous and positive teacher,” wrote another. “Her class is never boring, and she offers a lot of time to interact with the cohort.”
Another called Lineback a “gem.”
“How is it possible to transmit so much warmth and positivity through a Zoom call? … She responded to all my quippy comments, took an interest in my personhood, and made me feel like I hope I make my students feel in my own classroom — valued, recognized, and supported. I’m sure the rest of the Moreland team is lovely, but the bar has been set quite high.”
Earn your professional teaching certification in as little as 9 months with Moreland University. From there, you have the option to add on a master’s degree in just 3 additional months.
Our programs are fully accredited and 100% online, with rolling admissions.
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