Challenges and changes: Education is second career for Tildenville teacher

Catherine Terrell refuses to let any challenges keep her down — whether it’s a divorce, a terrifying car crash that resulted in her losing her leg, a complete career change or the recent death of her father. But despite all the heartache, Terrell maintains her smile when she steps into each of her three jobs.

Terrell is a kindergarten teacher at Tildenville Elementary, she works at a local Wawa convenience store on Saturdays, and she shops for the delivery service Shipt.

A LIFE OF CHALLENGES

Originally from Chicago, Terrell spent two years in Germany with her now ex-husband before returning to the States with her infant son. She moved in with her parents, who had by then moved to Florida, and she started taking odd jobs to make ends meet.

Her life was turning around when she began managing the convenience stores, but that would be short-lived.

Terrell was living a comfortable life in early 2004. She was a convenience store manager, had a good salary and was a single mother raising her son. All that changed when a semi-tractor-trailer with no brake lights stopped in front of her, she said. She slammed on her brakes, and they locked up, and she barreled straight into the back of the truck.

The impact from the crash shattered her right ankle and broke two bones in her leg. Surgeons put her back together with two plates, 15 screws and a cast, and she said she hung onto her leg as long as she could — but when the cast was removed, there was too much unhealthy skin and bone that refused to heal.

She battled many infections in her leg, and after several years of frequent doctor and hospital visits, she learned in 2008 she had no real option other than to amputate. The surgery was done in Alabama, where she had moved to be closer to a friend and to accept a position at one of his convenience stores.

Terrell said she had high expectations of getting a prosthetic limb and returning to her management job within the week. She was wrong. She spent 30 days in the hospital and 11 more months in a wheelchair. Faced with a demotion because of her wheelchair and inability to successfully do her job, Terrell returned to Florida and signed up for government disability benefits.

“I got like $15,000 a year,” Terrell said. “What’s that going to do? How do you support a child with that? That’s why I started substitute teaching. You can make so much a month and still be on disability.”

MAKING AN IMPACT

Terrell enjoyed working with children, so when her son graduated high school and started college, she decided to join him. She earned her Associate in Arts at Lake Sumter State College and transferred to the University of Central Florida through the UCF Connect program and earned a Bachelor of Science in elementary education.

Her first year of teaching was at Grassy Lake Elementary, in Minneola, followed by a year at Groveland Elementary. Now, in her third year of teaching, she has found her home at Tildenville Elementary.

“I love it here; I love the school,” Terrell said. “I want kindergarten because I wanted to get the kids early and I wanted to make an impact. I still have students that I meet them and their parents for lunch that I had three years ago.”

Tildenville is a dual-language magnet school, so Terrell has twice the number of students to impact — 18 in the morning and 19 in the afternoon.

“I love the kids, I love the relationships I have with the parents,” Terrell said. “Hopefully this will be my home for a while.”

STILL SMILING

Switching careers was difficult, but she knows she made the right choice, as teaching children has become a passion.

But it was not without its share of problems. After the amputation and months of inactivity, Terrell began gaining weight, reaching 387 pounds. When she started substitute teaching, she realized then she needed to do something about the weight because she couldn’t walk up and down the stairs of the two-story school with her students.

In July 2019, she had gastric-bypass surgery and has lost 200 pounds.

“Once I got the weight-loss surgery, I felt like I could live again,” Terrell said.

“I’m down to 187 pounds,” she said. “I got my life back. I can move. I can walk more than 20 feet without stopping to take a breath.”

Terrell admits she has been through a lot and has experienced many ups and downs in her life.

“But I always manage to pick myself up,” she said. “It’s been a struggle, but they say God only gives you what you can handle.”

A few weeks ago, Terrell was handed another tragedy when her father died after battling multiple cancers for the last decade. To honor him, she wears a necklace that belonged to him and she has his signature tattooed over her heart.

“There’s been challenges, but I’m still with a smile on my face,” Terrell said. “I’ve started my life over a couple of times.”