Tina Mayfield just finished her 19th year as an educator, all at Owasso High School.

“When I graduated from NSU, I decided that if I couldn’t teach OHS, I would not teach anywhere,” Mayfield said. “I’ve been teaching freshmen for the past three years and have finally found my niche. I taught seniors for 16 years and absolutely love it. I also thought I would never teach any other grade. When Covid hit, I was moved to freshman because so many seniors went online and the freshman classes were getting bigger.

“I cried and cried over the move because I was leaving the age I loved and changing buildings, but as I’ve discovered, I’m in the perfect place.”

Mayfield teaches English I. She never envisioned she would become a teacher growing up. She initially dropped out of college, but after having her daughter, she returned to school to receive a degree in teaching.

“Now, I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t teach,” Mayfield said.

Mayfield said her students have taught her that “age is a state of mind.”

“This year has been one of the best years ever for me, and I don’t feel my age. My kids keep me laughing and almost always think I’m about 10-15 years younger than I am. My students have also taught me that relationships matter. We joke around quite a bit, and they’ve finally learned when I’m being sarcastic, which is quite often,” Mayfield said. “My kids will stop by in the morning before school and randomly throughout the day just to say hi and tell me about something going on in their lives, whether it’s a girlfriend, boyfriend, a test grade or that they got their driving permit. If I hadn’t learned how to form relationships with them, I would know nothing about them or their lives, and I really enjoy this part of teaching.”

Teaching is and will always be important, Mayfield said. She keeps up with her former students and their progress in life.

“I had a student find me one night at a festival in Owasso,” Mayfield said. “I didn’t know who he was until he told me his name, and of course, I remembered him. He told me that he barely passed my class and didn’t like English but knew I was trying to teach him something. He graduated from college and told me he was getting his master’s degree in journalism, which was when he realized what all I was trying to teach him in high school.

“He told me how grateful he was for everything, and I was completely in shock. This was something I never will forget.”

In her free time, Mayfield enjoys reading, playing Taonga, an online game, watching TB, working athletic events and swimming in her pool.