MART, Texas — Most of us can hardly imagine being in one career longer than a decade, imagine being in the same job for 50 years.
Staphanie Carter has been a teacher at Mart ISD for the past five decades.
Over the years, she's taught math, Latin, been a bus driver, and even lead NHS, welcoming change and the love of furthering students' futures one day at a time.
"I never really thought of leaving here," Carter said.
Every year Carter said she just came back, and she loved it. She added that it hasn't felt like 50 years. She's impacted a lot of people, including current teachers who once sat in her classroom.
"Still to this day, I still remember my math skills, and every bit of it is based on her teachings," Mart ISD teacher Elisabeth Kalka said.
Kalka added that she wouldn't have made it as far as she did in college if it wouldn't have been for Carter. Today, she teaches with Carter and said she is one of a kind.
Ashley Garrett, another former student of Carter's, said she feels fortunate to work around Carter.
"She's one of the teachers that I remember the most," she said. "She almost commands respect without asking for respect."
Carter has played a vital role in many ways at Mart ISD.
In a time where many teachers are leaving the profession, she has stuck around, working with change and dealing with whatever life throws her way.
"I never want anyone to say, 'she can't do it,'" Carter said. "Give me that challenge and I'm going to do it."
Carter's current principal, Ashley Wilton, sees her tenacity and dedication as an asset to Mart High School.
"Miss carter always stays steadfast," Wilton said.
Wilton added that Carter is always the one who's ready to pivot. She said she works with new technology easily and is always ready to learn.
That's what has gotten her through the years, along with a good mindset and the ability to have a life outside of work.
For the current teachers that are maybe struggling, or don't think they can go further in the profession, Carter said balancing your work and life is the best thing to do.
"Find something to do on the weekends," she said.
As for this year, Carter said she's looking forward to her classes.
Whether this year will be her last, well, that's a problem this math teacher has yet to solve.