Class of 2026: For Sheena Cutler, becoming a teacher has been a dream years in the making

By Sian Wilkerson

From Florida to Virginia, through raising three kids and years spent behind the retail counter, Sheena Cutler's commitment to one day becoming a teacher has been a constant.

The Virginia Commonwealth University student has always had an interest in helping people learn. Growing up, she and her sister would take turns playing teacher, handing out fake assignments for each other to complete.

Now, education doesn't "feel like it's something that I chose," said Cutler, who will graduate this spring with her bachelor's degree in elementary education from the VCU School of Education. "I think it kind of chose me - it's the only thing that keeps coming back."

But the road to get here has been winding.

After her high school graduation in 2007, Cutler elected to enter the workforce, spending several years in retail as she raised her growing family. Eventually, she resolved to return to school to pursue her interest in a career in education - but soon after registering at a university in Florida, the journey was put on hold again as she and her family moved to North Carolina.

It wasn't until they relocated again to Virginia in 2021 that "the spark came back," she said. She first enrolled in classes at the University of Phoenix, and then transferred to VCU.

"I really wanted a well-rounded learning experience so that when I go into the classroom, I'm as prepared as I can be," she said.

Enrolling in a bachelor's program felt daunting for Cutler. As a working mother more than a decade removed from her high school graduation, she is 20 years older than many of her classmates.

"I was feeling like I was going to be this old lady in the corner," Cutler said. "But it wasn't like that at all - I've made some really good connections with a lot of [my classmates] despite the age differences, and it has been really nice to have a community. … It's just nice to be able to talk with other people [in the program]."

Throughout her time with the School of Education, Cutler has sought out - and embraced - every opportunity.

She is part of the Innovative Teacher Pipeline, a program that supports aspiring teachers who are committed to working in schools that are hard to staff. She also took part in the Ruth Harris Scholars Program, which offers cost-free training, tutoring and other professional learning opportunities through a collaboration between the Virginia Department of Education, VCU's Training and Technical Assistance Center and the dean's office in the School of Education.

Additionally, Cutler attended the Teachers of Promise Institute in February, where she and other future educators had the chance to learn from teachers about everything from active learning strategies in the classroom to managing boundaries to prevent burnout.

"Going there really helped me realize that I made the right choice to pursue education," she said. The programming "put a massive emphasis on connection over content [and] reminded me that while we have to deliver the information, we also need to make sure to nurture relationships with students."

Cutler's family is coming from as far as Florida to watch her collect her diploma at May's commencement ceremony. Her 19-year-old daughter, currently an undergraduate student at James Madison University, is even planning to move an exam - scheduled for graduation day - to make the event.

As she gets ready to end this chapter, Cutler is grateful for the guidance she's received at VCU.

"I've learned a lot about connecting with students, learning about their communities and building community," she said. "Getting into the classroom and learning from teachers from different backgrounds, in different demographic areas, is helpful because sometimes what works over here might not work over there. … I have a lot of ideas now, and I'm ready to take them in and see if my ideas will work."

And her time with the university isn't quite over: this summer, Cutler will begin the master's program in curriculum and instruction at the School of Education. She plans to take one class at a time as she balances her teaching career and her family, which includes two sons, ages 11 and 9.

"[I want to] focus on being a teacher but also set myself up for success if I ever decide to transition my career with education to a different role outside of the classroom," she said.