Sue Nelson graduated from college in Eastern New Mexico University with her Bachelor’s degree and soon became known as Ms. Nelson. Ms. Nelson has been teaching for 30 years, overall, and continues to because she is-and feels-very confident on the different curriculums she has chosen to teach over many years. She got into teaching because of some high school teachers who let her know that she was good at math and helping others. Though before that she had been looking into engineering for her future job. 

Nobody really knows what they want to do in college or what they want to study so taking this leap from something like engineering to teaching math was a big change. Of course, having your dream job is rare in this day and age but she does really enjoy teaching, plus Ms. Nelson is very good at teaching. 

She has not always taught at Canyon Ridge, though. She began teaching fresh out of college in Roswell, New Mexico for 14 years before coming to Idaho. Since 2003, Ms. Nelson has been a proud member of the teaching community in Southern Idaho. She came to Idaho because she is originally from Wyoming, a close neighbor, and struggled being as far away as New Mexico from her family. It was not a start in Twin Falls but around the area and soon after not being able to work in the area she was in, finally coming to Twin Falls and getting a job at Twin Falls High School. Of course, arose the wonder behind not working in Wyoming. Ms. Nelson’s family lives around Jackson Hole, Wyoming but she felt as though Wyoming did not suit her yet still wanted to not tread too far away. Therefore she decided that moving and eventually working in the lovely town of Twin Falls was a grand idea. 

She worked at Twin Falls High for 6 years before Canyon Ridge was built and when the new school was officially built she volunteered to work here. Ever since then Ms. Nelson has been a proud Riverhawk! In addition to being in teaching for so long, Ms. Nelson continues to because she says, “I feel like I am good at what I do.” She is also not a big fan of change. For 30 years Ms. Nelson has taught people younger than her and although she has thought about changing her occupation around she has stayed confident in herself and the way she teaches. Ms. Nelson feels as though going back to college could help with little things here and there, but she is overall proud of what she has gotten to do and would not go back to school full time because she does teach three different math courses and also teaches online math-IDLA. She believes in the saying her parents taught that says “If you’re going to do something, do it well and do it to the best of your ability.” 

Ms. Nelson seems to have a loving and kind relationship with her students and comes up with new strategies to make learning something like Algebra or Geometry enjoyable. When responding to the question “Are you happy teaching” Ms. Nelson said she really likes the environment in which people can learn and likes the way the world is changing and adapting to new things. She is a very happy and motivated teacher who likes to see the way her students respond to having a genuinely good time in class. Although not everybody sees that side all the time, Ms. Nelson would not leave her job at Canyon Ridge and teaching high schoolers unless she had to.