By Chris Dietrich
Teaching high school students wasn’t her first choice, but for science teacher Dr. Mrs. Valerie Simmons, it has become a passion. Initially, she wanted to teach at the college level and had previously done so. The idea of teaching high school seemed daunting – but when she got into the school, she realized that inspiring young minds became her teaching “why”. Chemistry had always been her passion, starting from her childhood, when she would do experiments with her scientist father.
“Teaching high school was never my plan. I’d been an assistant professor at the Health Science Center until my son was two and a half. When my husband called about an opening at Westmoore, I said no — multiple times! Eventually, I spoke with the principal and accepted the job so I could be near my kids. My main commitment was to get them through high school,” Simmons said.
Simmons teaches Honors Chemistry, AP Biology, and AP Environmental Science, all of which are lab-heavy courses. Unlike last year, her hours this year have undergone significant changes. It’s very different now, from having around two hours for her AP Classes to having them rearranged, where they are now placed in her day. In addition to these classes, she also sponsors two clubs.
“I sponsor the Jesus Club and Multicultural Club. The Jesus Club started with students who saw big changes in their lives after meeting Jesus and wanted to share that with others. I have a personal relationship with Jesus myself, so helping students know who He is feels like my ultimate goal,” Simmons said.
As a teacher, Simmons looks for those “lightbulb” moments. Along with those moments, the students are what bring her back each year. She often refers to her personal motto throughout her day, which she received from the youth pastor at her church. With her mantra, she also draws inspiration from her junior-high science teacher, who sparked that flame of love for the sciences at a young age.
“It’s an opportunity, not a burden.” Any challenge can be seen positively or negatively. If you focus on the negative, it’ll consume you. But if you focus on the positive, there’s hope in what you’re doing. My junior high science teacher, Mason Guy, is from whom I draw some inspiration. He was compassionate, loved science, and wanted to ignite that spark in every student. He even let me run my own experiments after class because he believed I’d make a good scientist,” Simmons said.
Mrs. Simmons isn’t planning to stay teaching at the high school level entirely. At some point, she’d like to aspire to more, now that her children have graduated and are off to college.
“I’m working on getting some more credits done. I’d like to return to the university level and teach chemistry or biochemistry — maybe even at the University of Oklahoma. But whatever the Lord has planned, that’s what I’ll follow,” Simmons said.
