Woodward High School’s Karen Chance – Teacher Spotlight
From the moment she first stepped into a classroom as a child, Woodward High School Spanish teacher Karen Chance knew she wanted to be an educator. “I’ve been blessed with amazing and inspiring teachers, and all I wanted out of life was to be like them,” she said. One of those early influences was her high school yearbook teacher, Mrs. Bowles, who made her believe she could achieve her dreams and planted the seed for the kind of impact Chance now hopes to have on her own students.
Chance attended Northwestern Oklahoma State University, fully convinced teaching was her calling, but her path was not as straightforward as she expected. She changed her major five times and, for the first time in her life, heard a teacher doubt her dream, encouraging her to pursue a different career where she could still make an impact. “I was crushed, but I learned so much from that experience,” Chance said. She graduated in 2021 with a Bachelor of Arts in general studies and spent a year working as a project advisor for Student Support Services, but the idea of teaching never left. Nervous yet determined, she applied for the Spanish I position at Woodward and, as she puts it, was “fortunate to land my dream job.”
Now in her third-year teaching Spanish I, Chance says her favorite part of working with high school students is that no two days look the same. “They inspire me in many ways,” she said. “I get to play a small role in their life and share my love of culture and traditions with them.” Early in each school year, she asks students why they want to learn Spanish, and several have told her they hope to better communicate with relatives. “Moments like those remind me that I can help them not only communicate with their relatives but also teach them about their culture,” she said.
Building relationships starts with sharing her own story, culture and struggles so students can see themselves in her experiences. When lessons focus on traditional dishes from Spanish-speaking cultures, she asks students about foods they cannot live without and trades opinions on her favorite Mexican dishes, sparking laughter and conversation. “It is one of my favorite lessons because I get to talk about two of my favorite things, food and culture,” she said.
Chance hopes her students leave her classroom seeing “the beauty in each of them” and feeling proud of the culture and traditions that shape who they are. She knows today’s teens juggle heavy course loads, extracurriculars and home responsibilities, so she works to make her classroom a place they look forward to, even on days spent conjugating verbs.
Songs, jokes and creative activities help keep things fun. Her advice to students is simple: “Do everything with kindness. A simple smile can make such a big difference.” For future educators, her message is just as clear: never forget why you chose this profession, because on the hard days, remembering your “why” can make all the difference.
