By Henriikka Niemi
Staff Writer
After nomination by a former student, Coppell High School English I teacher Melanie Ringman was named the January Teacher of the Month for WFAA’s “Good Morning Texas”. She was presented with a gift basket from City Credit Union, the program’s sponsor, and was featured on Channel 8 news on Jan. 31.
Ringman is a first year teacher at CHS, transitioning from Coppell Middle School North where she taught for nine years.
Q: Why did you get into teaching?
A: I wanted originally to go into child psychology. I was in my psych classes in college [at Texas A&M University] and I didn’t like them as much as I thought I was going to. There was an education class right before one of my classes, and I started listening to the teacher and decided that’s what I wanted to go into. I’ve always wanted to do something with children, but then I switched gears and decided to become a teacher.
Q: What is your teaching style like?
A: My classroom is never quiet. I love having discussion, group work and a lot of the time before units I’ll actually ask kids for feedback on what’s going on. You’ll never come into my classroom when everyone’s silent, unless there’s a timed writing. The kids have a lot of voice within my classroom.
Q: What are the main differences between teaching students in middle school and high school?
A: The high school is such a big school, so I feel like the freshmen in that I’m just getting to know everything about it. I love both. I feel like I’m a kid, so my heart will always be at the middle school where I started teaching, but I’ve definitely enjoyed being here and seeing my former kids, who come and ask me questions and for recommendation letters. It’s really cool that I get to see my students grow up. They’re never out of my life.
Q: How did you find out that you were the “Good Morning Texas” Teacher of the Month?
A: I found out when the [people from Channel 8] showed up with their cameras. Everything you see on the news report is true. The reporter and cameraman came in with five minutes left of my final exam. All the kids were like “what is going on?” and I was thinking the same thing. It was definitely crazy.
Q: What was your reaction?
A: I was really shocked because I didn’t even know what the award was. A former student nominated me, she’s now an eighth grader. Her name is Erin Folk and I had her when I taught seventh and eighth grade at North. It’s just so humbling to know that you’ve made a difference in your kids’ lives, because I love my kids. They’re my kids no matter when they were in my classroom and they can always come back or come see me if they have questions. It really touched my heart, more than anything else possibly could. When a kid tells you that you’ve made a difference to them, it makes the job and the hours worthwhile.
Q: What is the criteria for for this honor?
A: A student or someone has to write in to nominate you for innovative teaching and you have to have touched your students’ lives in some way.
Q: What was it like to be featured on Channel 8 News?
A: I don’t ever like to hear my own voice, so it was not really embarrassing because it’s humbling and such an honor, but it was weird to see myself on TV. I did watch it later. My kids actually saw it first and my husband and some of my friends were texting me throughout the day saying “Oh my gosh you’re on TV!” I saw it afterwards and cried. I cry a lot so it’s not a big surprise.
Q: What’s one interesting fact about you?
A: I have a funny sneeze and apparently there’s a Facebook page for it. [Mary Claire Phillip’s] class, the seniors this year, were the ones who made it. I’m not a part of the page but it is out there.
The segment that aired on Channel 8 can be viewed here.
