Sometimes people do not plan on coming back to their hometown for work, but sometimes the unplanned decisions become life’s greatest gifts.
This is the case for Green River High School graduate and GRHS teacher Terrin Musbach.
Musbach did not necessarily plan on coming back to Green River after college, but she does not regret her decision at all.
“I don’t think anyone plans on coming back,” Musbach said. “This is not where I expected to be, but I love it. I don’t know if I really saw myself anywhere though.”
Musbach attended the University of Wyoming after graduating from GRHS in 2003. She initially majored in Business because she thought she needed to have a job that would be more financially safe, but she really wanted to be a teacher.
She made it one semester into her first year of college and then asked herself “What am I doing?” She changed her major and earned her degree in English and Theater Secondary Education. Early this year, she completed her master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction through the University of Wyoming.
Musbach enjoyed high school in Green River and she credits her teachers for her love of education.
“So many of us come back here because we have amazing teachers that make us think ‘I’d like to do this.’ I had teachers that made me want to be at school,” Musbach said.
She realized she wanted to be a teacher when she was sitting in one of her favorite high school teacher’s classes.
“I remember the exact moment and where I was sitting when I knew,” she said.
It was in retired English teacher Nancy Talboom’s class. It was Talboom’s 50th birthday and she was telling her class she was 50 and she had a massive smile on her face.
“I just remember thinking, ‘I’ll be that happy when I’m 50 if I’m in a classroom like this.’ Maybe it was always in me, but that moment was when I realized,” Musbach said. “Mrs. Talboom is an absolute life-changing person.”
Now that Musbach is a teacher, she knows exactly why Talboom was so enthusiastic in the classroom. It is the students.
“I just love working with kids, it’s awesome,” she said. She hopes she is able to reach her students like Talboom reached her.
Above all else, Musbach hopes her students take away “a love of learning” from her classes. She also hopes she can use Theater and English to teach kids empathy.
“Both content areas increase empathy. I feel we should be empathetic for others. Empathy creates kindness,” she said.
She believes English and Theater can also teach kids creativity, passion and collaboration.
“Theater really lends itself to collaboration,” she said “I have teams and scores of people that have helped me with every task we’ve done in the theater. There are so many amazing things that so many amazing people have done.”
With all of the help she has received in the theater department, they have had shows where every seat in the auditorium was sold out.
Having a sold out show is one of her proudest moments in the theatre.
“To look out and see that not a single seat was empty, it was really cool,” she said.
Musbach really loves GRHS and has no doubt moving back here to teach was a great decision.
“I love this school. I’d be very happy if I spent the rest of my career here,” she said. “The theater is professional grade. Most people don’t realize how amazing our theater is. I take pride in being a part of it. My colleagues are awesome, the facilities here are nice, our administration is great. I love pretty much everything.”
She is also very appreciative of not only GRHS but the entire community, and even if life takes her elsewhere, she will always bring Green River with her.
“Green River is in my soul, it’s like my roots in everything I’ll ever do. Green River raised me as a kid and employs me now as a teacher,” she said.
“It gives me grounding. It’s my roots wherever I am and whatever I’m doing.”
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