It seems as if I have always known I was going to be a teacher. As a child growing up in Edmond, Oklahoma, I spent much of my time with my grandparents who lived in the same neighborhood as my family. My grandmother taught first grade for forty-three years in Edmond. Many of my earliest childhood memories are time spent with her getting ready for school. She was my hero, and I wanted to be a teacher just like her.

After graduating from Edmond High School I attended Oklahoma Baptist University. In the twenty three years I have taught, I was fortunate to have a variety of teaching experiences. Some of my most memorable and rewarding experiences in teaching were those that offered the greatest challenges such as working in an inner-city school in Indiana and a one room school house in Arkansas. I have been fortunate to teach in two very progressive school systems, Owasso and Deer Creek.

Looking back on my life, my greatest rewards have come from parenting my children, John and Jennifer, and teaching. John is a graduate of University of Oklahoma and the School of Psychology Ph.D. program at O.S.U. He is a Dr. of School Psychology in Texas Cypress Fairbanks. John and his wife Mariah have my first grandbaby, Maisie. Jennifer is a nurse case manager with the O.U. College of Nursing O.U. Health Science Center. She and her husband, Stewart, have my second grandbaby, Anna. I feel God prepared me for this profession from a very early age. I was fortunate to have wonderful role models and a family who encouraged me each step of the way. Teaching is a precious gift, something that can never be taken away. My grandmother loved teaching and loved her children. She always told me, "Mona, take time to know your children, then teaching will be easier."

I want to welcome you to my classroom.