Students who walk into D117 have a new teacher and mentor to help prepare them for adult life: Coppell High School teacher Dana Cosper. As part of the Career and Technical Education (CTE) department, Cosper will be teaching Ready, Set, Teach!, Human Growth and Development and Interior Design.

Cosper joined Coppell ISD this month. Her previous job at WolMed medical center taught her how to work with people of all backgrounds, and she brings this quality to her classes.

What do you teach and what do those subjects consist of?

I teach future educators methods and skills to be good educators in the future and to let them know what that career field consists of to see if they want to continue with that path. I teach Human Growth and Development from infancy all the way through elderly adults, just to let students know what is expected when you’re growing up.

For Interior Design, we’re working on designing a dorm room, and eventually we’re going to move on to designing rooms for other people. It’s a lot about the layout and visual appeal, and things like that.

How do you manage all three classes?

I put a lot of time into it. It also is helpful that there are plenty of resources out there for family consumer science teachers that are shared. We’re a group that likes to share our curriculum ideas and lesson plans.

Why did you decide to teach at CHS?

I went back to school three and a half years ago after being in the medical field since I was in [Burleson] High School. I decided teaching was something I really wanted to do after having that experience with my own son, and it was just fulfilling. The reason I picked Coppell is because I really liked the atmosphere of the school. It’s very student-driven.

What made you interested in the subjects you teach?

In Family Consumer Science, I took Cooking and Nutrition and Money Management classes in high school, and I even took Health Science classes, which is part of Career Technology but not part of Family Consumer Science. I just appreciated the idea of getting students ready for adulthood.

How was your first day at CHS?

I was nervously excited. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but [Monday] went very smoothly. Everyone was wonderful, and I really enjoy my students already. I haven’t gotten to know them very much yet, but we took it easy and did a bunch of get-to-know-you activities.

What future goals do you have?

I really want to start the FACSO club, which is Family and Consumer Science Organization. It is national, and there are competitions, and students can get scholarships for college from that. They can do a lot of competitions and they can go to different events.

What do you hope students learn from your classes?

I really want them to be prepared for adult living and for having jobs in their future. Whether they’re prepared for adult living and that’s one step they don’t have to stress out about while they’re also starting to work in their careers. I want them to be prepared for life.

What struggles have you faced transitioning to CHS?

My email wouldn’t work until [Monday], so I am trying to figure out all of the students’ information. I haven’t been able to get all the lesson plans on Schoology yet, so I’m a little behind in that.

How do you connect with your students?

I try to talk to them, ask questions and get to know them a little; see what they’re interested in so I can gear my lesson plans towards that.

Who or what inspired you to become a teacher?

My [10 year old] son [Ethan] inspired me to become a teacher. I would help him with his math homework at home every evening, because he wasn’t understanding it at school, and it was a lot of fun to me. It was very fulfilling to be able to show him something that I knew how to do.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

I’m very excited for this new opportunity here at this school to get to know all the students.

Follow Sofía on Twitter at @sofia_i_g