A teacher was the last thing Abigail Sywyk wanted to be. Her mother was a teacher, as were her grandmother and great-grandmother.

"I was stubborn -- no one wants to have the same job as their mother," Sywyk said. Or so she thought.

Aug. 21 was Sywyk's first day on the job, teaching sixth grade at Phillips-Edison Charter School in east Napa. Although Sywyk, 25, has been substitute teaching for 2 years, she said she was excited on her first day on staff.

"I was always in someone else's room, this was my room," Sywyk said.

So far, Sywyk said she's had plenty of support from administrators and her fellow teachers at Phillips-Edison.

"I feel so blessed and lucky to be teaching in Napa. ... I've been warmly welcomed and feel like I'm part of a team," Sywyk said. "I see energy and commitment here, and I see teachers excited to teach. That's what it should be like."

In 2004, Sywyk was just weeks from beginning at Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, on the path to becoming an attorney, when she changed directions. She was working as an instructional aide with special education students at the time, and said the energy of the kids inspired her to become a teacher.

"It was a summer job that wasn't supposed to mean anything," Sywyk said. "But deciding to be a teacher is the best decision I've ever made."

Sywyk grew up in Napa, attending Shearer Elementary and Redwood Middle schools. She graduated from Napa High School in 1999. She said many of her teachers in Napa helped her to form a love for learning.

"While I was deciding what career path to choose, I could hear one of the teachers that have really been there for me ... and I decided I needed to do what I wanted to do, not what other people or society thought was best for me," Sywyk said. "And I thought, 'Do I know any lawyers that love their job?'"

Her chosen career path did not come without skepticism from peers headed for law school.

"I can still remember the looks I got when I said I'm being a teacher, and that I'm not going to law school," Sywyk said.

Sywyk said her decision to teach here came from her love of challenges, and because she considers Napa her home.

"There are a lot of challenges in this district, and I want to be a part of that," Sywyk said.

Sixth-graders, she said, present an enjoyable challenge for her.

"They are just starting to become their own person, they are feisty, sassy, and have attitude problems," Sywyk said. "I talk to them like young adults. They are curious about your life and what you do. Those teachers who let you in their life, they make a difference."

In March, Sywyk will receive her master's degree in education from UC Davis, where she received her teaching credential.

Keeping it in the family

Sywyk's mother, Charlotte Ford-Gray, no longer teaches, but she still works for the school district as the coordinator of English learner services. Ford-Gray said Sywyk's decision to be a teacher delights her.

"It's overwhelming to me that my daughter, who had the entire world of choices about what career she wanted to pursue, and had many opportunities and options about careers, decided to teach," Ford-Gray said. "I don't believe for a minute she decided to teach because I'm a teacher; the kids spoke out to her."

The week before school began, Ford-Gray visited her daughter's classroom.

"Here is this child of mine that was once hanging out and playing in my classroom, and now she's in her own classroom," Ford-Gray said.

"Teachers are who we are inside, and I'm very proud that she's chosen to be a teacher. ... We should be very thankful for anybody who decides to become a teacher."