PAMELA AIRINGTON

Pam Airington grew up in Oklahoma City during one of the most challenging times for Oklahoma City Public Schools. She spent her last two years of high school attending classes located at three separate schools: Northwest Classen, John Marshall, and Northeast High School. However, the high school teachers she remembers the most always added a little extra to the lesson - an interesting twist or topic that would usually lead to great class discussions or a desire to learn more. Through all of the chaos and unrest, she felt blest with many excellent teachers and was grateful to them all for their dedication to education through those tough times.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Mrs. Airington attended Oklahoma City Public Schools, kindergarten through high school. She began her post high school education in Pharmacy School at Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, Oklahoma. She had always wanted to teach, but the concerns of family members amidst the unrest and uncertainty of public education prompted her to seek another career upon graduation. After getting married, she worked in retail and hospital pharmacies for five years then quit to stay at home to raise her two daughters. She volunteered at the girls’ elementary school, authoring the yearbook, and serving in many offices of the PTA. After deciding that she was not “cut out” to be a pharmacist, she returned to college to earn a certificate as a science teacher, graduating from OU with a Bachelors of Science Education in 1992. Pam has been employed in Norman Public Schools since the fall semester of 1992. She taught for five years at Longfellow Middle School and has been at Norman High since the district created two four-year high schools. Pam has taught eighth grade, all levels of Physical Science, and currently teaches Biology and Zoology.

She enjoys writing curriculum for the district with her colleagues during the summers, and still gets excited about attending classes to discover more interesting and innovative methods to use in the classroom. Pam has presented workshops at many professional conventions and meetings both locally and nationally. Her goal as a teacher is to help students discover a joy for learning about the universe and everything in it.

EDUCATIONAL PRACTICES AND PHILOSOPHY

Pam views herself as a professional with an extremely important role in today's society. She has designed her classes to meet the needs of all types of learners and tries to meet the individual needs of every student. She works with students during overtime to provide assistance when they are absent or need additional instruction and also meets with students before and after school. She views participation in science lab as a privilege. Pam believes that every student who wants to learn can learn, and is dedicated to helping each student achieve that goal.

2005 District Teacher of the Year Finalists

2005 Site Teachers of the Year