2. Why has it been important to you to continue your teaching career during your reign? When I decided to compete for Miss Oklahoma, I signed a leave of absence, knowing Miss Oklahoma doesn’t typically work. When I won, instead of crying tears of joy, I cried about losing my job and not being in the classroom. I met with my directors and asked if we could find a way for me to continue to work. I worried if I wasn’t in the classroom, I’d forget my ‘why.’ I’ve taught 5th and 6th grade English, but this year I am my school’s emergent bilingual teacher, working with students for whom English is a second language. I’m currently learning Spanish, Vietnamese and Farsi and so much about their cultures. This experience has shown me how much these students can be forgotten, so when I go back to the homeroom setting, I know how to include them more. 3. When did you know you wanted to be an educator? Not until a week after I graduated college! I’m a first generation high school and college graduate, so I didn’t have much guidance. I decided on a communications degree, knowing I wanted to work with people. I was attending the teacher walkout with my little brother and sister when I ran into a former teacher and she asked if I’d thought about teaching. She helped me study for my emergency certification, and I passed my test. I live in Norman, but I knew I wanted to work with kids who had upbringings like me, so I did a lot of research and chose Western Heights. It’s the best decision I’ve ever made. 4. What do you wish the general public understood about the teaching profession? Oklahoma’s numbers, especially in absenteeism and test scores, don’t acknowledge how hard teachers work. It’s discouraging when we see we’re last on the scale [compared to other states] when our teachers are doing A+ work. We wear so many hats — I’m counselor, nurse, big sister, mom, social worker. We are constantly thinking about our kids and how to help them. We go home with a backpack full of our kids’ personal weight every day. 5. What’s next for you? When I’m done with my reign, I will start my masters in administration degree. I would love to be a principal. My long- term goal is to be the state superintendent of education.
DAY’S PLATFORM OF SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING EMPOWERS STUDENTS AND TEACHERS ACROSS THE STATE TO LEARN EMPATHY, COPING MECHANISMS, ANGER MANAGEMENT AND GOAL-SETTING SKILLS.
6. What do teachers in our state need? We need better teacher pay, not just for teachers but for our support staff. Paraprofessionals are making $12 an hour and that is unfair. We need to feel validated. But the number one thing we need is someone in charge, in our state’s position of power, who’s been in the classroom, who actually cares and who is for teachers — not just someone who wants political power. 7. What do students in our state need? They need patience. We know, because of the pandemic, that they are behind. I wish they understood that it’s OK and it’s not their fault. I also want them to know how valuable education is. That’s why I tell students where I come from — I could have chosen a path to drugs and living on the streets like one of my parents. Education is what changed the trajectory of my life. Kids sometimes think they have to be a product of their environment — but they are in charge of their own futures.
METROFAMILYMAGAZINE.COM / JAN-FEB 2024 41
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