“In education, you have a unique opportunity to touch so many lives. What you teach can be exponentially grown. Be a faithful steward of your gift! Love the Lord, Love your students, and don’t forget to Play and Rest!”
During her sophomore year in high school, Audrey’s World History teacher/cheerleading coach encouraged her to consider attending OBU. This interaction set into motion Audrey’s college career that was filled with faith, fun, and friendship.
After graduating from OBU, Audrey moved to West Memphis, AR and began teaching Geometry at the Academies of West Memphis. She continued her education and received her MSE in Educational Theory and Practice from ASU. During this time, her school recognized her as Teacher of the Year, and she became one of the Regional Finalists for the state of Arkansas in the Teacher of the Year program. After being in West Memphis for five years, Audrey married and moved to Muskegon, MI where she now teaches Geometry and Algebra 2 at Muskegon High School.
When asked how OBU prepared her for her career, Audrey stated “The education I received at OBU was phenomenal preparation for my career. Through field experience, student teaching, and meaningful classroom experiences, I was consistently exposed to the expertise of many educators that modeled quick and wise decision making.”
When thinking of her favorite OBU Education Program memory, Audrey recalls all of the trips she was able to take to observe and to teach at different schools and classrooms. “I loved getting to team teach with other math majors in the local high school. These things stand out to me because of the relationships that were built.”
Looking back over her years of teaching, Audrey’s favorite P-12 classroom memories are mostly outside of the regular school day. “Since geometry is a state tested subject, we would have tutoring sessions on Saturday mornings and the room would be packed with students!”
One piece of advice Audrey shared for future candidates was “as a teacher it is sometimes hard to love others, but when we keep the gospel in mind, it gives purpose and reason and a WHY behind why we do what we do.”
Thank you, Audrey Markel, for being a life changing educator!
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