Oklahoma’s new Teacher of the Year celebrates by gifting her tuition waiver to aspiring nurse

Booker T. Washington English trainer Traci Manuel is aware of a factor or two about obstacles.

She is aware of a factor or two about addressing them, as properly.

“You by no means know a trainer’s story,” the 2023 Oklahoma Instructor of the 12 months mentioned Thursday morning at her first look again at Booker T. Washington Excessive Faculty since Wednesday’s award announcement. “It’d seem to be we’re exhausting on you and that there’s no finish in sight and why am I having to do these items as a result of it has nothing to do with the particular person you’re going to change into. But it surely has every thing to do with the particular person you’re going to change into.”

A 3rd-generation educator, Manuel struggled with studying as a toddler. Together with needing tutoring rising up, she mentioned she spent lunch hours learning within the library whereas attending Booker T. as a scholar.

Nonetheless, even with that additional effort, a counselor instructed her school was not a risk for her. It took the encouragement of her household and a mentor on the North Mabee Boys and Ladies Membership, Jo Shiny, to assist her determine a option to make it occur.

Referencing a line from the varsity hymn, Manuel mentioned that counselor’s remarks wound up being a boon in the long run, and she or he challenged college students to discover a comparable spark.

“Despite the fact that it was a setback listening to that from somebody, it grew to become my biggest weapon in life,” Manuel mentioned. “What folks instructed me I couldn’t obtain, I lastly discovered the religion to have the ability to overcome the concern and say what I can do and may obtain. It’s important to discover that very same one to have the ability to be girded for all times’s biggest process.”

As Oklahoma Instructor of the 12 months, Manuel was given a tuition waiver for as much as 36 graduate credit score hours or 16 undergraduate credit score hours from the College of Oklahoma. Nonetheless, after consulting with different college members late Wednesday and early Thursday, Manuel referred to as A’Taylor Elliott up on the stage throughout Thursday morning’s meeting to assist the Booker T. senior clear an impediment of her personal.

Elliott plans to review nursing at OU. Since she didn’t qualify for the Oklahoma’s Promise scholarship and has not been profitable in making use of for different scholarships, she mentioned she has been contemplating less-expensive faculties. Her mom lately took on a second job to assist cowl her school prices.

Manuel stunned Elliott with the waiver, thus protecting her first semester of undergraduate college in Norman.

“Taylor’s needed to overcome obstacles, like me,” Manuel mentioned. “Her story is completely different from mine, and I didn’t get the chance to show Taylor. What I do learn about her by … different fellow Hornets is that she is a robust younger lady who’s going locations, who will not be on the prime of the category, however you don’t all the time need to be on the prime to know the place you’re going.”

Due to Manuel’s shock, an emotional Elliott mentioned she’s going to be capable of attend OU within the fall.

“This implies lots,” Elliott mentioned. “I’ve heard a number of nice issues about her, … however this modified my life.”

The Oklahoma Instructor of the 12 months program is coordinated by the workplace of Oklahoma’s State Superintendent of Public Instruction and is a part of the Nationwide Instructor of the 12 months Program, sponsored by the Council of Chief State Faculty Officers.

Instructor of the 12 months finalists are chosen by a cross-section of main educators, lawmakers and civic leaders representing all areas of Oklahoma. A state choice committee critiques finalists’ nominations and movies of their classroom educating and interviews the finalists earlier than recommending the winner.

Together with being simply the third Tulsa Public Faculties trainer in 60 years to win the award, Manuel is the primary Black lady to be named Oklahoma’s Instructor of the 12 months, a indisputable fact that drew loud cheers and a standing ovation from the gang within the Booker T. auditorium Thursday morning.

As an alternative of educating, Manuel will spend the 2023-24 college 12 months touring Oklahoma as an envoy and advocate for public schooling. Throughout Thursday’s meeting, she acknowledged laws into consideration this session to redirect state funding away from public faculties by tax credit or vouchers and referred to as on college students and different meeting attendees to share their tales on social media about their public college experiences to assist with that advocacy.

“We’ve some individuals who could not need to see us succeed,” Manuel mentioned. “We’ve some people who find themselves not behind college students such as you who’re numerous. We’ve some individuals who might want personal faculties or constitution faculties over public faculties. However they (public faculties) made me who I’m, and they’re making you who you’re, so public schooling issues.”