Tell us all about you...

                                                                                                                                                                                                       That’s easy, but I don’t know where to start. I will say I had a wonderful childhood and I think that’s why children are so important to me. I know many children have not had the opportunity of growing up in a loving and caring home as I did, so I wanted to make an impact in their lives some how. I guess my entire life I wanted to make a difference, whether it was writing or becoming a teacher. I have a love for helping people reach their God-given potential and with children it begins with a kind word.

I was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma and lived in California and eventually returned to my roots in Oklahoma. I’ve been to a gazillion schools. I don’t know if it was my love for learning or the idea of traveling. I think my family believed I majored in interstate travel. (That was supposed to be a joke.:-))

I think I have always known I would be working in a field where I could help others.  

  How did you get into education?

It was my love for children that really got me interested in becoming a teacher. I was a regional sports agent for Shea Seals when he was playing for the New York Knicks. His attorney contacted me and asked if I would help him for the summer. Wow, what a great opportunity. I started a company called All Pro Sports in Tulsa, Oklahoma and began working to get Shea local endorsements. I also started the Shea Seals Fan Club at his old high school, McClain. Working with the young eager students to form his fan club became a love for me. It lead me into teaching.

I moved to Texas and got into a good alternative teacher certification program. I know. When you hear alternative certification, you think, she’s not really a teacher. Oh, but I am. I have also taken education classes and will be finishing a MAPD (Masters in Art and Professional Development) in Education and Counseling.

My second year as a teacher, I became a Bilingual/ESL demonstration teacher on my campus. I worked with teachers who had 35 years of experience to new teachers.

Remember not all alternative teacher certification programs are alike. It is important to check them out thoroughly. Ask as many questions as you need to.

  Have you always wanted to be teacher?

Wow, funny you should ask. I had always said,  “I would never go to Northeastern”, “live in Texas” or “be a teacher.” But I did all of them and they were all the best decisions of my life, because I graduated from Northeastern State University with my mother, Carolyn Chappell, (we both got our Master’s together), moved to Texas (absolutely love it), and am now a teacher.

I had always wanted to be a TV writer. I have been blessed to be able to do them both.

  What advise would you give to people interested in becoming a teacher?

The first thing I would say to them is to take this job seriously, because you are going to be in a position to change and influence a child’s life, which is so important.

I feel that teaching is one of the most important careers a person can have. Everyone needs a teacher. Think about it. Everyone has had a teacher one time or another. You are an important part of the world and have the influence to change the direction it goes.

I say this because children look up to their teacher as a, parental figure, friend, and a mentor in their lives. Children spend more time with their teachers, in some cases than their parents.

I would also say to those interested in teaching to make sure they know what to do to protect themselves at work.

  What makes you qualified to write a book on survival? You must have a lot of horror stories.

Part one:

I became an award-winning journalist while working at a newspaper and used the paper to showcase many students who worked hard in school. I’ve worked on several novels and am currently finishing my third book. I’ve learned throughout my travels that things aren’t always as we want them to be, but with thought, we can always find the silver lining. With teaching, I ran into snags, but I didn’t let that stop me form doing what I loved.

As I looked around at other teachers, I began seeing a pattern in teachers leaving the classroom. At first they became very unhappy, some would cry daily and slowly they would disappear from school. I knew there had to be a reason. Boy, were there reasons, but all of them could be resolved with a little creativity and know-how. I found out why teachers were leaving, and wrote a book to give helpful advice on how to turn an unhappy an unhealthy situation around.

Part two:

Personally, since I’ve been a teacher all my evaluations have been “Clearly Outstanding” which is the highest you can achieve in our evaluation system. I don’t have any horror stories with my students. I have not had to write a referral for any of my students. I begin each year with a speech and that does it. I am about to write an article on how to change discipline problems in your classroom. I will give the speech I use.

Now, I have had some experiences with unreasonable principals, but you have to remember why you became a teacher plain and simple. I became a teacher for the children who needed someone to believe in them.

   Tell us about Bogie.

You really don’t have time to hear all about Sir Bogart “Bogie” Chappell. I will say that he is a wonderful, sweet, very spoiled little man. I can’t even think of him as a “dog”, because he can do everything except talk and sometimes I think he’s trying to do that.

My students love him and they always ask about him. He has been the classroom mascot every since I got him two years ago.

I will keep you updated about his adventures. He has his own page on the website.