Teacher Appreciation Week!

     This week is Teacher Appreciation Week! Each day, I will blog about a teacher who made a difference in my life. The first teacher is my dad who was my high school principal and driver's ed. teacher. He taught thirty years in Oklahoma and fifteen years in Texas. Even though my dad made me sit on two books while driving in driver's ed. and scared off any possible boyfriends, he showed me and the other students in school a respectful, caring attitude and expected us to have high standards for ourselves. He was always there to help anyone who needed assistance  like taking students home, picking them up if they needed a ride to school, paying for groceries, or just listening to them. He went above and beyond the typical definition of a teacher, and students and teachers respected him. When there is something going on in Oklahoma education, I always call him for advice. Even though he is retired, he has enough teaching wisdom to share with people in education. Thanks, dad, for making an impact on my life and the lives of the students at Big Pasture Public School.

    The next teacher who made an impact on my life was my science teacher, James Keeter. Science was my favorite class in high school. It was hands-on with little lecture. I remember one time when we had to have an insect collection. We met at the school around 6:00 in the morning, and Mr. Keeter drove us out to Cache Creek north of Randlett. We sat around a camp fire, and he made us breakfast. After we ate, it was time to collect some insects. We were only there a couple of hours, but I have never forgotten it. Mr. Keeter taught like there was no box, always pushed us to do our best, and made us laugh. Thank you, Mr. Keeter, for your dedication as a teacher. Even though I became an English teacher, I love science because of you.

    A couple of my former students have made an impact on my teaching. They chose the teaching profession and ended up teaching at their alma mater. Heather Murr teaches Spanish I and uses a lot of creative ideas to help her students not only learn Spanish but also have an appreciation for the culture. Some of her creative ideas include requiring students to explain in Spanish how to make a food dish, using game stations that help students learn the language, and using any form of technology to help with delivering the curriculum. Amber Dewinter teaches Oklahoma History and coaches soccer. She is not afraid to try something and if it does not work, try something else. She even required her students to write a research paper, which was a perfect example of writing across the curriculum. Thanks to both of them for inspiring me to try new ideas and helping me get through another year of teaching.