You get to school on a Monday and are surrounded by grouchy teens. You tread the long walk to literature across campus in the Arts Building. As soon as you walk into Mrs. Armor’s classroom, the sun comes out, and the positive energy flows throughout the room. You start class by laughing over puns. Your Monday morning has improved vastly.

Mrs. Armor began her professional life working as a legal assistant. She soon realized, however, that adults could be grumpy  and boring. She quit her job and decided to work at St. Margaret’s School in Virginia teaching World Literature, where she was able to work with fun, young, happy  kids.

She lived in a small town, married to her husband, Jeff, who shared her passion for adventure. Their call to the wild came out when they decided to go on an adventure, not knowing where they would end up. They rented out their house, sold the dog, got rid of their furniture and cars, and decided to sail across the Atlantic.

“Leaving everything behind was hard, certainly because we didn’t know when or if we would ever come back, but we both yearned for adventure,” recalls Armor.

Their adventure began on a small boat, where they set out to the open seas. Mrs. Armor said, ” It seemed like a big adventure. We were young and healthy.”

So she set out for fourteen months all around the Atlantic, enjoying the simplicity of the ocean and the company of her husband, Jeff.

“I remember sitting in the cockpit of the boat, and looking up at the stars at night. It was life-changing being 1,000 miles from any human being.”

Once they had returned from their amazing journey, they both realized their love of working with kids, and decided to combine their knowledge of sailing with their passion for young people. They created an adventure-learning company where they sailed through the Bahamas and Maine on a larger boat with middle school and high school students.

They enjoyed this adventure for many years, but in 2002, their daughter, Jenny, was born. Mrs. Armor decided to return to teaching. She still, however, works on the sailboats during the summer months helping her husband with their company.

Just this year, Mrs. Armor decided to make a change and move to Florida to teach at the Out-of-Door Academy. She says, “I don’t really know exactly why we decided to move to Florida, but it was mostly because of the various opportunities for Jenny.”

Mrs. Armor’s daughter is a burst of positive energy, too. She is fearless and isn’t afraid to hug her mom during the day.  She is in the sixth grade, and enjoys music, theatre, and pickles.

Mrs. Armor enjoys the community of ODA. “I like it because it really values the individual. I think the kids and the adults are creative and talented.”

We welcome Mrs. Armor’s fun spirit and positive energy to the ODA family, and look forward to a great year.

Perhaps, Mrs. Armor would be willing to share more of her incredible story with you.

Picture Credit: Out of Door Academy Website