At Moore High School, Candace Fulks teaches English II and English III, but her work reaches beyond reading assignments and classroom discussions. Since first arriving as a student teacher in fall 2018, Fulks has found purpose in helping students grow academically and personally.

“I’ve been at Moore High School since Fall 2018 as a student teacher, and then I was hired in January 2019 and have been here ever since so almost eight years,” Fulks said.

Fulks said the relationships built in the classroom are among the most meaningful parts of her work. Each school year brings a new opportunity to guide students as they gain confidence, discover their abilities and prepare for the next stage of life.

“The things I enjoy most about being in the classroom are building connections with students and seeing them grow both academically and personally into who they are meant to be,” Fulks said.

A graduate of the University of Oklahoma, Fulks originally expected her career path might take her outside the state. That perspective changed during her student-teaching experience at Moore High School, where the people and culture made a lasting impression.

“I went to the University of Oklahoma for college and then had plans of looking for work out of state, but when I started student teaching at Moore High School, I knew there was something special about the staff and the students,” Fulks said.

Fulks said it’s the community atmosphere at MHS stood out to her from the beginning.

“Despite this being a large 6A school, it still feels like a family,” Fulks said.

Her decision to enter education was also shaped by her own experience as a student. Fulks said she did not grow up in a family of educators, but influential English teachers helped keep the possibility of teaching in her mind.

“No one in my family has ever served in education, but I had several great English teachers throughout middle and high school who inspired me,” Fulks said.

Even while pursuing a different academic direction in college, Fulks continued to consider teaching as a calling.

“Even when I wasn’t studying education in college, it kept thinking, What if I did follow that dream of becoming a teacher?” Fulks said.

Now, Fulks hopes students leave her classroom equipped for whatever comes next.

“Students can expect that they will be prepared for whatever path they choose to pursue after high school and that they will develop skills that they may have thought would be beyond their ability to accomplish before,” Fulks said.