From the time she was young, Molly Deramus always knew she wanted to be a teacher. The road was not easy, but it was a road well traveled. Going from three jobs to her second year at Lakeview, she has always had a heart of courage and service to do right by her students.

“Teaching is something I always wanted [to do],” Deramus said. “The level of teaching changed over time. I first wanted to teach kindergarten and teach them their ABCs and 123s. I realized that’s not what I wanted to [do], and I realized I’m not born to be a kindergarten teacher.”

Not receiving any financial assistance from her parents, she worked hard every day just make it through the day. Having three jobs while being a freshman at the University of North Texas (UNT)  became a grueling weight on her shoulders.

“It was harder as an 18-year-old to pay for college without knowing that there is financial aid out there,” Deramus said. “My parents didn’t go to school. I worked three jobs and went to school full-time, and that was hard on me. I dropped out.”

One of Deramus’ biggest supporters has been her daughter, Elizabeth. Not only is she her biggest supporter, she is also her biggest competition at home. She also followed in her mom’s footsteps, and is currently a student at UNT.

“I talk about bars and reaching those bars,” Deramus said. “We have a standing joke in our family that once you hit a bar, you have to go above it. She was in sixth grade when I went back to school, and [my] first semester she said, ‘Mom, you have a bar to set. I have to make straight A’s, you have to make straight A’s. You don’t make straight A’s, you’re grounded.’ So she and I have been having been that competition of me mentoring her and her mentoring me.”

After going back to school and receiving her bachelor’s and master’s degrees, she was in need of a job and Lakeview was the first thing that popped up.

“At the time, I was not employed, and I wanted to be a contract teacher,” Deramus said. “I didn’t know anything about the school. My first semester [of] kids touched my heart. I came in the middle of the second semester with 12 weeks left before school was out. And I saw a dramatic change in them because they had someone leading them in the right path.”

This is Deramus’ second year at Lakeview, and she is still learning every day what it’s like to be a teacher. Her goal has been for all of her students to keep their dreams alive.

“The number one lesson I’ve learned is that kids are smarter than me,” Deramus said. “ Not just book smart, but street smart. I’m supposed to give you the tools to be smarter than that, but you start off smarter than me. You challenge me as much as I challenge you.”

Deramus doesn’t know how long she’ll be a teacher, but she is striving to be better every single day.

“Lakeview is a place where I think I can stay for my career,” Deramus said. “This could be where I stay. Teaching is something I’ve always wanted. I probably will die teaching.”