VYPE: When did you begin your career as an educator and who inspired you to do so?
Rebecca Childers: I taught English and Creative Writing at WVU starting when I was 22. I moved to Oklahoma and switched to public school in 2020. I adore it. I wanted to be a teacher as far back as my memory goes. I watched my mom teach Sunday School like it was a sport–always a new song, a new craft, a new big idea, and I wanted to be just like her.
VYPE: What makes the Yukon school district a great place for you as an educator?
RC: I very quickly felt like a Miller. I love how the school finds a way to reach every student and truly tries to help them succeed and have fun. I have never met a student that didn’t have the ability to change the world for the better, and Yukon clearly believes that, too.
VYPE: Describe your current role or position with Yukon High School.
RC: I currently teach Leadership and lead our Student Council. It’s my dream job. I get to assist our students as they plan our school assemblies, our Blood Drives, Mill Week Events, school dances, Kindness Week, and many other school outreach events. Eating pizza at midnight in a sea of poster paper is a different kind of teaching experience, and I love it.
VYPE: What should students/parents know about your classroom and your goals for the students as an educator?
RC: My goal for students in my classroom is that they see that they are great, and that they already have the skills to lead–they just need to identify them and practice them. I also focus on getting students to work together and lead together. I want them to meet their best friends in my class.
VYPE: What do you enjoy most about being in the classroom?
RC: My favorite part of the day is when a student runs into my room screaming, “Ms. Childers, I got tea!” I love to hear about their days, their lives, and their goals. I also really enjoy watching students be proud of themselves for accomplishing things they didn’t think they could do. That flawlessly executed presentation, from the student who swore to me they’d never speak at the front of the room, is so great to see.
VYPE: What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
RC: I love to hang out with my nieces. We read, pretend to be princesses, hotel managers, restaurant owners, and fancy ladies. And of course, watch Frozen.
VYPE: What is your message to the seniors who are leaving the halls of Yukon High School and venturing into the next chapter of their lives?
RC: That they are already wonderful, and that it is ok if it takes a minute to figure out exactly what makes them great and where they need to be. And that I will miss them so much.
