Woodland Joint Unified

Harris, who teaches English as a Second Language/English Language Civics and Adult Secondary Education (ASE) at Woodland Adult Education, served in the U.S. Army as an administrative clerk from 1977 - 1980.

 

She was inspired to join by her parents, who were also Army veterans. Her father served in the U.S. Army Air Corps and her mother served in the Women’s Army Corp (WAC), the women’s branch of the U.S. Army.

 

Harris herself was born in Parks Air Force Base in Pleasanton, CA, the eldest of six children.

 

“I was a military brat,” said Harris. “Being a child of military parents and serving in the Army allowed me to fulfill a legacy that my parents began.”

 

Soon after completing boot camp and job training, Harris was shipped out to Frankfurt, Germany as part of the 21st Replacement Battalion, where she worked as an administrative specialist and mail clerk.

 

“I had to drive an army jeep on the Autobahn for 30 minutes to go pick up the mail,” said Harris, who was a Specialist 5th Class. “There was nothing else available.”

Living and working in Germany was an experience of a lifetime, recalled Harris.

 

“I loved being there from the very beginning,” Harris said. “The first night in ‘boot camp,’ I was in the barracks with women from all over the country. There were Native American women, Hispanic, Asian, Jewish, Black, Brown. Later, I loved serving in Germany for two years and I thought seriously about staying in Frankfurt after my service was completed.”

 

Serving in the military taught Harris many life lessons that she still carries to this day.

 

“I learned that nothing is ever too good or too bad in the Army for too long, so have a plan ‘B,’ as plan ‘A’ will inevitably fail or exhaust itself,” she said. “Find out the working style of your CO (Commanding Officer) as they all operate differently, and align yourself with a network of people who love their home culture, but could see the positive aspects of their new adopted culture, too.”

 

Harris continues to belong to a women’s veterans group in Sacramento, the Women’s Veterans Alliance.

She added that teaching has also been a fulfilling role in her life. She taught English in Japan for 14 years and has taught at WJUSD since 2006.

“I love giving students a second chance,” Harris said. “For students who are non-native English speakers, I can connect with them because I used to be them. I have an idea of what they’re going through. I know how hard it is to navigate in another culture.”