Growing up in rural Oklahoma, Kimberely Durall loved to read and tested as gifted and talented. Still, she hated school.
鈥淚 felt my mind worked differently,鈥欌�� she says. 鈥淚 worried that I annoyed my teachers by not following directions or doing things incorrectly.鈥�
Then, at Oklahoma State University, Durall lost both her parents and a grandmother. Supported by the university community, Durall realized that she, too, liked helping people.
Kimberely Durall (M.A. 鈥�15) (Photo Courtesy of Kimberly Durall)
鈥淚 majored in education to keep learning while inspiring kids with a background like mine. I didn鈥檛 want the limits the world places on students to follow them into my classroom.鈥�
Now in her 13th year as an English teacher at Hendrick Middle School in Plano, Texas, Durall helps young people discover 鈥渢he power of their voices鈥� through writing and note-taking platforms such as Sketchnoting.
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鈥淭o me, visual storytelling is a natural progression from writing. Maxine Greene removed art from a pedestal, which translates into academic equity for every student.鈥�
Once an unhappy student herself, Durall can reach kids who 鈥渉ate being in my classroom.鈥� Teaching, she says, is about helping them make personal sense of what they are learning. 鈥淏ecause then they understand why learning matters.鈥�