COCOA, Fla. — It has been an out-of-this-world experience for A+ Teacher Pam Brockmeyer. She teaches at Cocoa High School in Cocoa but once dreamed of being an astronaut until she discovered her passion is teaching.

Pam Brockmeyer makes the rounds in her math class, where she has created a safe space for her students.

"I like math. Math is my thing," she says. "Was I good at it in high school? No. My math teachers will tell you no I was not great."

She explained how she landed the career she has had for more than two decades in the classroom.

"When I started getting into teaching, I thought, ‘Hmm, I can explain that a little bit better than my teachers did when I was in school'," she recalls.

She admits, though, that teaching was not her first choice.

"Teaching was not my ultimate goal in life. I actually wanted to be an astronaut at one point," Brockmeyer says. "I actually applied to be an astronaut, and I was rejected." 

While working on odd jobs, though, Brockmeyer discovered her interest in teaching.

"I worked in radio for a while," she says. "I was a lifeguard for a while. So, when I was a lifeguard, I actually taught swimming lessons, and I kind of realized that I did have a passion for teaching."

While Brockmeyer knows math can be hard, especially at the high level that she teaches, she only asks that her students try.

“Are you going to get it right the first time every time? No, you’re not,” says Brockmeyer, whose grandmother was a third-grade teacher. “But try and try again. Because when you get out in the real world, you’re going to have to face these challenges on your own, and you’re not going to have that teacher saying, ‘Hey Ms. Brockmeyer, I need your help’.”

Brockmeyer loves reuniting with former students, too.

"I've had multiple ones going into the military, that have come back in their uniform, and that's the highlight of my day," she says. "They've gone off to be NFL pros for Tampa Bay. When Jamel Dean won the Super Bowl, he came back, and I got to wear his ring. That warms my heart, and that's why I do what I do."