TULSA, Okla. — Traci Manuel is a Booker T. Washington High School Advanced English Teacher, Tulsa Public School Teacher of the Year, and current finalist for Oklahoma Teacher of the Year, who almost was never a teacher at all.
"As a teacher, my road was less traveled," says Traci Manual. Which is one of the reasons Robert Frost's poem The Road Not Taken is one of her favorite poems. You see, this teacher's journey began with a different dream.
"I wanted to start out as an actor, but my mother and father said listen, we're not paying for a starving artist, so you really need to figure out what you want to do in life," says Manuel.
It didn't take long for her to figure out she loved kids and that she could bring some drama to her classroom stage.
Plus, being an educator is in her genes.
"My grandmother started with Tulsa Public Schools in 1965. My aunts, uncles, and a lot of my family members and those I consider in my close village were also educators, so I come from a long history of educators," says Manuel.
She also has a history with Booker T Washington High School. She graduated from 'the Hive.' She says she was a leader but struggled with her studies as a student.
"I can recall having a really challenging time in high school. I wasn't really encouraged to go off and pursue college. They said, hey, maybe try some other routes because we don't know if you can do that. So that was my push point in life to say that I can move beyond obstacles because of my mentors," says Manuel.
She credits a long list of mentors for landing her on the road to success. They guided her into education, including her first teaching job, as a substitute.
"I was coming back from my first year in graduate school, and one of my mentors, Mary Howell, said, 'Hey, I think you'd be great. I need you to come to help us as a substitute at TPS,'" says Manuel.
During her journey with Tulsa Public Schools, she's gone from sub to superstar.
Sophomore Destiny Wilson says, "She's one of those teachers you can relate to and express your feelings with, and she won't get upset or start judging you."
Matthew Griffin, also a sophomore, adds, "Booker T. is full of great teachers. All around, the teachers are good, and that's just a testament to Mrs. Manel's work. For her to be better or the best among those, it just shows how hard she works… how good she is at her job."
It takes a lot of work to be a teacher and even more when you're nominated as Oklahoma Teacher of the Year. Over the next few months, Mrs. Manuel will continue with interviews for her nomination, and she won't find out the result until March. However, her students say she's a shoo-in.
"She will win, yes, yes, she's going to make it. I believe in her, I really do," says Wilson.
"I'm 1000% confident in Mrs. Manuel. Her ability is through the roof," says Griffin.
The students say seeing their teacher up for a top award inspires them to do better and be better. Manuel says that's a big win already.
"I come to work every day because it's something that I'm called to do and something that I love to do, and no matter what the pay scale is, no matter what the legislature decides to do, my heart is teaching, and it bleeds Tulsa Public Schools," says Manuel.
While it's a journey she might not have initially seen coming, Manuel knows the path she's on is exactly where she's meant to be, just like her favorite poem.
"And I took the road that was less traveled by, and this has made all the difference," recites Manuel.
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