Tammy Sparks is well versed in how to be part of the Duncan Middle School community. After all, it wasn’t that long ago that Sparks was a teacher at DMS.
For seventh-grade students, Sparks has once again become a fixture at the middle school, one they will see for the remainder of the year.
Sparks is a long-term substitute for a seventh-grade social studies class at DMS. She is slated to finish out the school year with her seventh-graders.
“Teaching chose me,” Sparks said. “I thought I wanted to be in business but was drawn to teaching. It was in my blood.”
Sparks grew up in Marlow Oklahoma. She worked at Duncan Middle School between 2018 and 2021, teaching Tween Life, a subject currently being taught Jeana Conn. Sparks retired from DMS in 2021.
Although she has three year of teaching at DMS, Sparks brings 23 years of total teaching experience.
Since her retirement, Sparks has worked for Duncan Public Schools as a substitute. But since the conclusion of Christmas Break, Sparks has returned to the classroom fulltime, although only on a long-term teacher basis.
Sparks replaces Richard Davis, who left DMS at semester.
For Sparks, the best parts about teaching is helping students and seeing their growth. However, she also enjoys the funny moments in teacher, especially some of what the students say verbally or in their writing.
Even though she has many years of teaching experience, she also has a lot of other career experiences that she’s able to use and infuse into her class lessons. Throughout the years, she has worked in chiropractors and optometrists offices, in a bank, at a Dillard’s where she sold cosmetics, and as a tax preparing.
She chose teaching. She fell in love with it. She was drawn to it.
Her grandparents were educators, which might relate to Sparks claim that teacher, in fact, run in her blood.
In her free time, Sparks likes to be creative. She enjoys crafting, sewing, crocheting and using the computer to design.
She is married with two grown children. She has one grandson, who is almost a year old, and she has a granddaughter on the way sometime in July. She lives on a farm/ranch, and has a love for dogs and horses.
Sparks is glad to be back at DMS and wants the students excel. She hopes her passion for teaching helps students reach their full potential.
“I like to think I am patient, empathetic and compassionate,” she said.
